Batalla Dos Corazons
by Trails.Of.Broken.Hearts
Summary: AU. War rages between the Above and Underground for Princess Karen's hand. Her younger sister Sarah is swept up in the midst of a war she wanted nothing to do with, but so is Jareth, High Heir. Chance brings them together as they work to end the war.
1. Prologue

_Batalla Dos Corazons is Galician. Loosely translated, it means Battle of hearts_

_Haha! Finally a new story to start. I've been battling headaches untold and plot bunnies unnumbered to bring to you this awesome new story. The idea came from the Tale of Troy, but it really isn't much like it at all. Just the basic idea and a few names I stole. It is so totally AU that I'm going to warn you of a few changes to main things. First of all, for plot purposes, I've made Karen Sarah's older sister instead of stepmother. Their parents are Robert and Linda, and I've also made Toby a little older. He's too cool to be kept as a baby. Yeah, every other change should be pretty obvious. So without further ado, please welcome my brand new story: **Batalla Dos Corazons.**_

"But I don't want to go!" Karen protested. At fourteen, she was every bit willful as any other girl. It was unfortunate then that she happened to be a princess. A princess betrothed to the King of the Sprites as well.

"You will marry King Menelaus and you will leave in a year," her mother, Queen Linda stated firmly, "And that is nonnegotiable." Karen wailed and ran her fingers through her blonde curls.

"If you force me to wed him," she threatened, "I shall... I shall die!" With an exaggerated sigh, she collapsed on a couch.

"You are not going to die," Linda replied distractedly as she signed document after document, "You will bear it as a princess. What would your father think if he saw you now?"

Karen crossed her arms defiantly. "He wouldn't think anything." she grumbled, "He's the king and has much more important things on his mind." Just then, an idea popped into her head. Sitting up, she stared at her mother carefully before speaking.

"I will go quietly if Sarah comes with me." There! That would show them! Her mother wouldn't dream of sending her second favorite child (Toby was of course her favorite; sons always were) to a strange kingdom. The girl was only six after all. Linda's head snapped up and she eyed Karen skeptically. Seeing through her scheme, Linda nodded.

"I will speak with your father."

Karen's face fell. Perhaps this plan would not work. Linda was a hard woman; if she was as serious as she seemed, chances were that both she and Sarah would be leaving in a year. And then Sarah would probably hate her forever for dragging her into a situation she had nothing to do with. But what was said had been said and now there was no taking it back. Hopefully Robert would not agree with Linda. But, he wanted the match more than anything.

Oh, what had she done?


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Lol. I couldn't leave you with only that lame prologue so here's the actual first chapter!_

"Karen, you knew this was going to happen," a seventeen year old Sarah consoled to her older sister who was weeping softly, "It was only a matter of time. With a woman of your beauty, well of course Menelaus would pursue you."

"It's just not fair!" Karen whispered tearfully, lifting her head to gaze out the open window were she was seated "He's so _old_. How can he expect me to come back with him? He's horrible!"

_He's only a Fae_, Sarah protested in her head as she sat down next to her, _They don't age the same way mortals do._ Karen marrying a Fae had meant that peace could be restored between the mortals and Fae of the Underground, but it also meant that Karen would have to leave the home she had known all her fourteen years. Possibly forever depending on how kind or cruel Menelaus was to her.

So instead of leaving with the royal party a week before her wedding, Karen had (foolishly in Sarah's mind) run off with an elf. Of course, this elf wasn't just any elf, but Prince Arden of the elves of the Aboveground. Somehow, Sarah had been dragged with her sister to the Aboveground, though not by choice. She hadn't wanted to leave the Underground; in fact, she was excited to meet the Fae king and all the rest of his court.

Karen's departure of course sparked fury among both Fae and mortal alike in the Underground. Once Karen's whereabouts had been uncovered, Menelaus had allied himself with the majority of the Underground's rulers, the High King included. That alone had Sarah berating her sister for her foolishness. Her "passionate romance" with the elf prince was beyond ridiculous. Sarah often doubted Karen's "love" for Arden and wondered why she would hate the Fae so much to risk everything to avoid them. Now, ten years later, the war still raged over the right to Karen's hand.

"Things will turn out." she assured instead of voicing her thoughts, "You mustn't dwell on this." She rubbed Karen's shoulders gently. Raising her hands, Karen caught Sarah's and held them tightly.

"This war has been dragged out for ten agonizing years." Karen answered, more to herself than to Sarah, "How can things turn into anything good?"

Sarah sighed. "I never said things would turn into something good. Time will run its course and we will be forced to reap what we sow."

"Count yourself lucky, Sarah," Karen replied bitterly after a good amount of silence, "That you have not been cursed with such looks as I have." Sarah breathed in sharply and quickly drew back her hands.

That had been a low blow. Sarah knew she wasn't ever going to be as beautiful as Karen. No one could be as lovely as her; she had been blessed by an ancient oracle at birth. All Sarah's life, she had looked up to her sister and understood that she would always be the plain daughter. She hadn't minded as a tomboyish child, but time slowly brought an ache of longing into her heart. What-ifs and wishes had passed, leaving Sarah saddened but resigned. Still, being reminded of her plainness did not make her very sympathetic towards Karen.

"Because you are in grief," Sarah stated quietly, backing away, "I will forgive you for your careless words. I will see you at dinner." Swiftly, she turned around and exited her sister's room.

Why did she have to bring it up? It wasn't her fault she wasn't as pretty as her sister. No, the blasted old witch had given her nothing; she had died before Sarah's birth. Sarah couldn't change anything, even if she tried. No one could compare with Karen.

Wiping away a stray tear, Sarah retreated to her rooms. Perhaps a little Fae translation would ease her mind. There was something about the Fae language that fascinated Sarah; she was the only one in the elves' court who could speak it fluently. Many times, the elf king had called on her translation skills which she had provided willingly. The entire Fae culture was one that Sarah desperately wanted to know more of.

So holding back what she knew were selfish tears, Sarah sat at her desk and took a moment to stare out her window. The ocean view was spotted with ships. Ships that bore warriors from the Underground. Sarah didn't know who's side she was on, but she did know she wished for peace. An end to this bloody war.

Picking up a quill, she opened her newest collection of Fae poetry and began scratching out the translation on a separate scroll. All the while, she pondered on how silly this war was. All the lives lost, over her sister. Beautiful as she was, Sarah was certain Karen did not deserve a ten year long war fought over her. It was quite ridiculous really. But of course, here in the Aboveground, a woman wasn't supposed to think such thoughts. Philosophy was for the old men, said both Karen and Arden.

So Sarah turned her full attention to the tale of romance in front of her. Fae were passionate creatures, or so she had heard, and their epics were a wonder to read, translate and copy. Therefore, she was soon completely swept up in her work, until the sun was kissing the ocean waves and a knock at her door tore her from her fantasy land.

A servant poked her head in at Sarah's call to enter. "Dinner is served your ladyship," she announced quietly. Sarah frowned and set her quill down.

"I shall be down shortly." she replied to the servant. Standing up, she placed her hands on her back and stretched. _I think a walk through the gardens is due._ she resolved as her muscles groaned at the effort. After slipping her sandals on and pulling a tunic over her light shift-dress, Sarah reluctantly walked herself to the massive dining room.

She hated dinners with the entire royal family. Prince Arden always looked scandalized whenever she opened her mouth, and King Priam looked at her with a gaze that made her incredibly uncomfortable. There was no queen, her majesty having died a year prior to Karen and Sarah's arrival. The only one who really treated her with kindness and respect was Agemos, the eldest of the two brothers and his now seven months pregnant wife.

Agemos and his wife Nissa had been good to Sarah her entire life in the Aboveground. She felt at ease around them, and thus the majority of her time was spent with one or both of them. _They keep me sane during these ridiculous times_, Sarah mused as she approached the broad doors of the dining hall. Two footmen quickly scurried to push the doors open, and with a deep breath, Sarah stepped inside.

"Greetings Princess," Nissa greeted warmly, standing up from her seat. Agemos quickly followed her suite, and gestured that his younger brother rise also. With an exaggerated sigh, Arden stood up from his chair, dragging Karen's hand as he went, forcing her to rise as well. Karen looked much better since Sarah had seen her last, and she wondered what the cause of her change was.

"And to you, Princess." Sarah replied, giving her a genuine smile. A chair was pulled out for her at Karen's left and Sarah gracefully sank into it as the others sat as well. "And where is..." she trailed off as Agemos gave her a warning look.

"The king is busy with other matters." he supplied quickly, "What with this war and such, it is surprising that he has any spare time at all." Sarah nodded and tucked her napkin in her lap. _Now for two hours worth of small talk._

The elves were much more formal than mortals and even Fae, as Sarah was forced to learn. Their culture was restricting and demanding, especially towards women and children. Small talk, impeccable manners and formal attire were required at even the most casual of occasions. Politics, religion, daily news (otherwise known as gossip) and especially war talk were taboo subjects at the dining table, leaving very little to speak about in Sarah's mind. She was forced to limit her discussions to that of the weather and latest fashions (which had not changed in the last five years due to the war) and she found it maddening.

"The sunset looked glorious," Karen supplied, breaking the sound of forks hitting plates, "Sarah, was it as beautiful from your view as I imagined?"

Sarah sent her sister a weak smile as she looked up from her roast duck. "I do not know how you imagined it, sister," she replied, "But it was indeed a sight to behold." Silence ensued as each person became caught up in their own thoughts. _Its better than trying to spend fifteen minutes discussing the fact that it was sunny today_, Sarah mused, sipping from her glass.

Finally, she managed to choke down dessert after an unusually large meal and hastily wiped her mouth, preparing to rise and excuse herself. However, as soon as she dropped her napkin onto the pristine, white tablecloth, Arden stood up and placed both hands on the table. A sure sign he had something to announce. Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes; anything Prince Arden made a show about was sure to be foolish.

Clearing his throat, the elf prince took a deep breath before speaking. "I have spoken with Princess Karen this afternoon, and she has agreed to take my hand in marriage."

Sarah's jaw dropped, and through her haze of shock, she saw Agemos furiously fly up from his seat. Nissa looked as though she'd swallowed a frog and Sarah had to force herself to keep from shouting her surprise. Agemos, however, did nothing to contain his disproval.

"What are you thinking?" he demanded, "Fool! We are in the middle of a war. A war we are trying to end. Did you actually think a _marriage_ would solve _anything_?"

Karen stood as well, taking hold of her lover's hand. "If we wed, there is no reason to fight anymore." Arden replied, "Karen would be spoken for." Agemos rolled his eyes and leaned across the table.

"We discussed this years ago, Arden," he answered slowly, trying to control his temper, "Not only would this marriage create more strife, but it would also be considered null and void if we should lose this war."

Arden glared at his elder brother. "Unless we were wed in the Underground." he retorted, "It cannot be broken then."

Sarah had heard enough. Finding use of her tongue, she stood up and faced her sister's lover. "It is a fool's errand." she stated, "Firstly because traveling to the Underground is nearly impossible at this time. Secondly, because even if you were wed, all King Menelaus would have to do is kill you. Then Karen is unyoked once again." Sarah tried to keep her annoyance hidden, but Nissa's look of horror revealed that her efforts had failed.

Karen sent her a scathing glare and moved her hand up to grip Arden's arm. "Do you not wish for an end to this war?" she demanded, "Or have those Fae manuscripts addled your brains, sister?"

A scene was the last thing Sarah needed and she pushed her chair back. "You are not thinking clearly," she replied evenly, "If you had read "those Fae manuscripts" you would not act in the way you do." She stepped out from around her seat and turned to exit the room. Karen's shrill voice stopped her in her tracks however.

"There is my proof!" she exclaimed, "If I didn't know better, I would say that you side with them!" As Sarah turned around, she caught sight of Agemos's enraged face, and Nissa's ghostly countenance. Arden however, looked at her strangely and she felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Goodnight sister." Sarah bid quickly. Turning on her heel, she fled the dining hall. It was time for that walk in the gardens.

After Sarah's hasty departure, Nissa pulled on her husband, who looked as though he was preparing to pounce on his younger brother. "Come my love," she soothed, "Let us retire." With a sound that almost sounded like a growl, Agemos backed away from the massive table. It was only after they had reached the doors that his body loosened by the slightest degree. "He is a fool!" he muttered, "A damned fool who will kill us all."

Meanwhile, Arden had sat back down and was staring into space. Karen sat next to him, gently rubbing his arm. After a good amount of time, he slowly turned to face her. "I have a plan."

_Make sure to review!_


	3. Chapter 2

_Lol. Listening to **Rent** while writing is not productive at all. I keep stopping to sing along. I need to listen to something else... :P _

_Just so you guys know, I don't plan on updating this story as quickly as I did **Beauty's Beast**. Life's fast, and I need to work hard to keep up. However, I will strive to keep chapters posted consistently and mostly swift; just not every other day. _

_All right, here's the next chapter of** Batalla Dos Corazons**:_

That same day, the sun beat down mercilessly on the soldiers' heads as they set up fresh camp on the shores of the Elven kingdom. Pulled away from their families and forced to fight in a land strange to them, the Undergrounders were far from happy with their situation. The first few years, they were excited about the prospect of war and glory. But time dragged on, and all they wanted to do was return home. The only thing keeping them there, was the courage and fortitude of their leaders. Well, one leader in particular. One Being above all inspired them to carry on for a war that was not their own.

Jareth, King of the Goblins and High Heir. Sent by his father, High King Lysander, King Jareth had proved himself to be more than a good soldier and an excellent war strategist. He pulled his weight like every other man, fought like a tiger on the battlefield and didn't put on airs like the rest of the kings, princes and lords (at least, not in wartime). The soldiers, mortal, Fae and goblin alike looked up to him as their hero. He would go down in history, name forever written in the sands of time, his name drawing a breath of praise at its mention.

But now was not a time to be praised. At that particular moment, Jareth and a group of about eleven men were struggling to pull up a tent. It should have been easy, but the wind was against them and the tarp flapped in the strong breeze. Muscles strained, brows dripped and mouths grunted as the stakes were driven deep into the red sand. Finally set, the group turned to the next tent to erect. And so the afternoon dragged on until the sun kissed the ocean waves and the Goblin King dropped his hammer after driving in the last stake of the tent.

"Enough," he rasped, voice hoarse from lack of water, "Get some rest." The men smiled gratefully, and as each left, they clapped Jareth warmly on the shoulder. With a sigh, the king retired to his own tent, looking forward to washing the sweat and grime from his sore limbs. As he entered his temporary home, he sensed another person already in the tent.

"Greetings Odysseus," he smiled. The man pushed himself off the tent's main support pole and bowed. "And to you, Goblin King." he replied, eyes twinkling.

Jareth turned from his cousin and pulled his soaked shirt off. Getting rid of that filthy article was heavenly! Walking over to his washbasin and splashing his shoulders, Jareth let out a small groan as his muscles ached in protest.

"Why do you insist on working with them?" Odysseus inquired, noticing Jareth's discomfort, "Surely there are others who could do it just as well?" Jareth smirked and flung droplets of water at him in response.

"How can one be expected to lead when he doesn't know what his followers experience?" Jareth asked in return, "The men follow the one who is their equal." He scooped up water in his hands and doused his face, this time his groan one of pleasure.

"But they also follow the one with power." Odysseus pressed. With a grin, Jareth ran a towel over his face and wild hair.

"That is why the men prefer me over you." he countered, whacking his cousin with the towel. Odysseus flinched and chuckled.

"Touche." he replied, "But I did not come here to discuss leadership tactics with you. King Menelaus has organized an meeting with the kings."

"Now?" Jareth pouted. Odysseus nodded, and he rolled his eyes. "I'll be there shortly." _So much for a night of rest,_ he thought, snatching a clean shirt from his trunk. Now he had to spend the evening with bickering rulers. After pulling his fresh (and clean smelling) shirt over his head, Jareth exited the comfort of his tent and pushed his way though the many men trying to get their dinner. It didn't make sense that Menelaus had his tent on the very opposite side of the camp!

Finally pushing the king's tent flap aside, Jareth practically stumbled into Menelaus's tent; the crowd for dinner was becoming thicker and it was nearly impossible to walk.

"King Jareth," a voice greeted, once Jareth got his bearings, "So good of you to join us." Straightening up, Jareth nodded.

"Greetings King Menelaus," he replied, "I trust this is important?" Menelaus's smile tightened and Jareth had to hold back a smirk. It was no secret that Jareth and Menelaus did not like each other. However, as High Heir, Jareth was required respect from every other being in the camp. No one outranked him, and Menelaus chafed at that. It infuriated him that a Fae so many centuries his junior was his overseer.

Jareth was young for a Fae king. At only one hundred and fifty years old, he was hundreds of years younger than most of the other Fae at the camp. The only one close to his age was Odysseus, who was three hundred. However, as High Heir, King Lysander had appointed him leader in his stead. Second to him was Menelaus (because he started the war in the first place) who thoroughly disliked taking orders from whom he still considered a child. But, he owed Jareth respect, and begrudgingly gave him what was due.

"Indeed it is your majesty," Menelaus replied in a tone almost too sweet, "Otherwise I would not called a meeting so soon after receiving fresh troops." Jareth raised an eyebrow and strode further inside the massive tent.

"Battle tactics?" he asked.

"Precisely."

Soon Jareth found himself in a circle around a table. On the table was a map, marked with many lines and dots depicting plans for battle. Jareth had added lines of his own as well, modifying the plans in order to maximize their resources, as did several of the other kings. The plan was to storm the Elvish capitol in a month's time, and hold a siege in hopes that King Priam would surrender quickly. Not the path Jareth would have initially chosen, but it would have to do.

"All right then," Menelaus was saying, "Get a good night's rest and we will begin preparations in the morrow." The rulers murmured their farewells and filed out of the tent, the crowd of hungry soldiers long since scattered. Jareth was more than grateful to retire; he knew a full day of work awaited him, including manual labor and more strategizing.

Collapsing on his makeshift bed, it seemed he had only just closed his eyes when the sun was seeping through his tent flap and burning his eyelids. Nights seemed to pass faster in the Aboveground, but Jareth attributed it to the fact that he was laboring from sun up to sun down. Still, he didn't appreciate the glorious sunrise, his head ached from exhaustion too much to actually enjoy the light.

His muscles groaned in protest as he sat up and in that moment, he almost used his authority to allow him a few more hours of sleep. Honor however, kept him from doing such, and instead he reached for his boots. This was going to be a bad day; he could tell.

Ten minutes later, he was seated next to Odysseus, trying to ingest some form of oatmeal. At least, he thought it was oatmeal. Odysseus had since finished his bowl and now sat with his body turned towards his cousin, avidly describing his plan to sent scouts into the Elven city and scope out its resources. Jareth was only half-heartedly listening though, his mind clouded over with his own thoughts of all that he and his troops needed to do that day.

He was dragged from his musings by his cousin smacking the arm that supported his chin. Suddenly, the oatmeal-mush was rushing towards Jareth's face, and he found himself with a massive face and mouthful of the stuff. Indignantly, he used both hands to fling the mush from his eyes and turned to glare at Odysseus who was struggling to keep a straight countenance.

"Yes?" Jareth ground out, scooping a handful of breakfast from his cheek. His expression caused Odysseus to choke on his laughter and breathe loudly through his nose into his fist. Jareth's look became even darker, and he silently picked up his bowl and emptied its contents on his cousin's head.

"Good morning to you too." he bade, standing up and using his sleeve to clean the rest of the oatmeal from his face. Striding away, Jareth allowed himself a smirk in memory of his cousin's shocked face. Had he wasted a full meal? Yes. Had it been worth it? Absolutely. This was wartime and the chance to smile or laugh was indeed precious. However, his mood was still dark and if he hadn't been so grumpy he would have pitied those he was working with that day.

It was too late into the morning to change his shirt, and Jareth knew it would just get filthy anyway, so he went straight to the training field. His job that morning was to work with the mortal magicians; the ones who's knowledge of magic was rudimentary at best. They needed all the help they could get before any battles as their skills were vital to the protection of many of the generals.

The group of two dozen men- no, boys- all looked up from their practices and drills upon hearing Jareth's footfalls. With a smirk that could almost be called predatory, Jareth vaulted the fence and strode into the middle of the circle. "Lets begin." he announced to no one in particular and quickly launched a crystal at one of the older magicians.

And so the training began. Spells and crystals were flung from every direction and to every direction and Jareth was pleased to find that the magicians were not as bad as he had anticipated. Still, they needed more training if they were ever going to battle among the soldiers and Jareth spent the morning teaching the boys new spells and how to reinforce the ones they already knew.

"Pronunciation is key," he coached one of the magicians who could only have been about fourteen, "If you don't say the spell properly, you risk everyone under your protection." The boy nodded and focused harder, forcing himself to concentrate as his lips formed the right words. His fourth attempt proved successful and he triumphantly defeated the opponent he was dueling.

It was noon when another magician, one who was old and skilled in the art, came to take over for Jareth. The goal of magician's training was to practice continuously the entire day, in order to build up endurance, so the more experienced teachers traded throughout the day in order to preserve their energy.

After a quick lunch, Jareth joined Glatteis, the Ice King's son in inspecting weapons inventory. Glatteis seemed very serious while counting arrows, and Jareth wondered why he was so silent.

"Glatteis," he spoke up, but the prince shushed him.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, ninety-ten..." he mumbled. Jareth snorted.

"That would be a hundred," he corrected, "Unless you know a new method of counting I am unaware of." Glatteis paused only to fix a dark expression on the Goblin King before continuing.

"One-hundred and two, one-hundred and three..." he whispered. Rolling his eyes, Jareth clapped his hand on the prince's shoulder. "You seem to have things under control," he said, "I'll leave you to it." Waving his hand in dismissal, Glatteis continued to count and Jareth slipped away. There was always something else he could do, and anything would be more productive than this.

He was almost to the end of the rows of tents when an arm shot out and pulled him into the last tent on the row. A hand clapped itself over his mouth and Jareth struggled to break free of the grip that held him in place.

"Be still!" Jareth froze, recognizing Odysseus's voice and he relaxed. His cousin released him and turned him around.

"Remember what I was talking about at breakfast?" he asked. Jareth nodded and Odysseus pulled him closer to whisper in his ear. "Well I have a plan, and I need your help."


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks to all who left reviews, favorited and subscribed!_

Sarah woke late the next morning in a bad mood. Karen's words the night before had stung, and she did not want to see her sister today. So after slipping out of bed, she rang for a servant to bring breakfast to her rooms. It took all her willpower to smile at the young girl brining the tray up. Grouchy as she was, no one deserved to be snapped at for doing nothing. Resolving to walk in the gardens after lunch, Sarah settled down to practice her needlework. If she was fast enough, she might be able to finish the baby booties for Agemos and Nissa's child before it was born. As she pulled the needle though the soft cloth, Sarah lost herself in memories of her childhood.

_"I'm going to the Fae kingdom?" a six year old Sarah asked, expression unreadable. Her mother nodded, and Karen stood by her side, wringing her hands anxiously. What if Sarah was upset about this turn of events? What if she hated her for what she had done? Karen didn't think she could bear leaving home **and** taking a sister who hated her. Much to her relief, Sarah grinned. "At least we will be together sister." she said, "Besides, I've never met a Fae before. What are they like, mother?"_

_The queen smiled and held out her hand for Sarah to take. "I haven't much time to describe them to you my dear," she told her daughter, "But I can provide you with enough reading material to satisfy even your undying curiosity." Sarah slipped her hand into her mother's, and they slowly made their way to the library, Karen trailing behind._

_Sarah had spent the rest of the afternoon snuggled into a large chair, turning page after page in book after book about Fae. They were fascinating! She couldn't believe that a being could be so similar to a mortal and yet so very different. A small thrill of excitement trailed down her spine as she thought about living in the Fae kingdom. She was actually going to live with them._

_Nearby, Karen sat in her own chair, sulking. Sarah didn't act upset at all! Her plan of avoiding marriage had failed; she was all out of excuses, loopholes and ideas. There was nothing else she could do... Or was there?_

Sarah was dragged from her memories by a knock at her chamber door. Karen's voice filtered through the intricately carved wood, but Sarah ignored her. She was nearly done with the top embroidery of one bootie, and she also was still mad at her sister. She did not want to talk to her. After only a few seconds, Karen left and Sarah rolled her eyes.

"You really wanted to talk to me didn't you?" she snorted under her breath, "Practically broke down the door!" Shaking her head, Sarah set her needlework down and decided to see what the cooks were making for lunch. Maybe she could snag something and take it out into the gardens. She still owed herself a walk, and staying inside all day was giving her a headache.

The head cook, Madelin, reluctantly gave Sarah some bread and cheese wrapped in a napkin, and after gathering her skirt in one hand, made her way to the gardens. They were beautifully cultivated, the flowers cared for in such a way that they bloomed all year long. Fountains littered the enormous grounds and some looked deep and wide enough to swim in. The heat of the afternoon caused her to gaze longingly at the clear water and with a sigh, she seated herself in the shade of one of the fountains. Every so often while she ate her lunch, the wind would blow a mist of water, cooling her heated skin. The relief was heavenly.

Her bread and cheese quickly devoured, Sarah rose from her surprisingly comfortable bench and began walking through the gardens. Having been through them hundreds of times before, her stroll couldn't really be called exploring. She knew every stone and each hedge, every fountain and each twist or turn on the pathway by heart. She had even helped care for some of the fauna every year; simple tasks though, such as watering. When she was younger, she used to weed the beds, but that stopped when Karen found out and insisted it was unladylike.

Glancing around and making sure no one was looking, Sarah pulled her skirt up past her knees and knelt in one of the flower beds right off of the path. It looked like no one had gotten a chance to care for it in a while, and weeds were choking the soft pink blossoms. With a grin at the thought of spiting her sister, Sarah eagerly yanked at the weeds, creating a pile of them next to her. It was hard work (for a princess) but she welcomed it. Anything to keep her mind off current events. As she pulled up the offending plants, Sarah once again lost herself in memory.

_Her short legs made it difficult to run after the puppy, but Sarah just had to get her ribbon back. It was one she planned on wearing when the Fae king and his entourage arrived in two weeks. The mischievous animal had snatched it from her while she was trying it on and she had been chasing the pup for a good ten minutes now. It just wouldn't let go! "Besta!" she called breathlessly after it, "Drop it now!" The puppy simply paused, wagged its tail and took off once more._

_"Fine then." Sarah panted, "Keep it." She plopped down against the wall near a door and leaned her head back in attempt to catch her breath. The corridor was silent without Besta's yipping, and Sarah felt too alone. She was about to get up and look for a new ribbon and someone to keep her company when she heard voices._

_"You can't go with him! He doesn't know you like I do. Come away with me. I love you, **Karen." Karen? Who was talking to her sister?**_

_"But I have to." that was Karen's voice, "I've been given no choice. As much as I love you, I cannot marry you. You should know that. If I married anyone less than royalty, I would be shamed eternally and most likely hunted down to be killed."_

_There was a long pause, and Sarah felt a small voice in the back of her head. **Eavesdropping is wrong.** Sarah wrestled with her conscience, but her curiosity won out and she remained in a heap on the floor, listening through the door._

_"Karen. I haven't been entirely honest with you."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I'm not a stable boy. I am Prince Arden of the Elven Kingdom."_

_"Prince Arden?" Karen gasped loudly._

_"Will you come away with me now? I offer you my protection, my inheritance and my love."_

_"Oh, your highness." Here she paused and Sarah rolled her eyes, knowing it was for dramatic effect. "I will go with you."_

Time passed, but Sarah was unaware of its passing as she lost herself in her work and moved to other beds. When footsteps clacked on the stone path, Sarah's head popped up from the flower bed and noticed that the sun was setting. Around the corner came a servant, and she looked relieved to see Sarah kneeling in the bed.

"M'lady!" the old woman exclaimed, "It is nearly supper time and we have been looking for you!" Upon seeing the dirt streaking Sarah's dress and face, she tsked. "Oh, we have to hurry to get you to dinner in time!"

Sarah sighed. "I'm not going to dinner." she announced after some thought. The servant blanched and opened her mouth to respectfully protest, but Sarah spoke again. "Tell them I don't feel well, and am resting in my rooms." As an afterthought, she added, "And I don't want to be disturbed."

The old woman was about to speak again, but Sarah shook her head. "I'm not coming to dinner. Now if you would be so kind..." She smiled and waved her hand down the path and the servant reluctantly left her alone. Once she was out of sight, Sarah glanced around before standing up and slipping off her shoes. Pulling her skirt up past her knees, she hurried over to the fountain. _Finally._ She'd been dying to do this all day...

Meanwhile, earlier that day...

Jareth eyed his cousin skeptically. "You have a plan?" he asked. Odysseus shushed him fiercely, and made a gesture threatening to cover Jareth's mouth again. "Quieter!" he hissed, "Do you want the whole camp to hear?"

Rolling his eyes, Jareth pulled himself out of Odysseus's grip. "What is your plan, then?" he asked in a whisper, "And why on earth do you need my help?"

Looking around as if someone might be inside the tent with them, Odysseus leaned closer and smirked. "I have an idea," he began, "And it is ingenious! You and I are going to sneak into the Elven city, and scout out the castle. Tonight!"

Jareth attempted to look his cousin in the eye seriously, but was having trouble keeping a straight face. Honestly, what was Odysseus thinking? Had he been hit over the head, or had the heat finally gotten to him?

"You want the two of us Fae to slip into an Elven city? Unnoticed?" Jareth asked slowly, "Do you really think that is logical?" Odysseus shrugged and grasped his cousin's shoulders.

"Think of it," he pressed, "We alter our features and there! We're in. No one expects royalty to scout. Its the perfect plan!"

"We'll never get in." Jareth reminded his cousin, "And you very well know, we're taller than elves."

"Psh!" Odysseus scoffed, "Excuses excuses! If you must be _so_ difficult, we'll simply fly in. Ha! I'll wager you never thought of that, now did you, cousin? I'm royalty too you know. We'll use our bird forms!" He crossed his arms and raised a brow in triumph.

"But I don't understand why _we_ have to go." Jareth sighed, "Or do you suddenly feel the need to act like a child again?" He pulled Odysseus's hands off his shoulders and walked around him, sitting himself down on a trunk near the tent flap.

"_We_ have to go, because I know no one could do the job as well as you and I." Odysseus sighed in annoyance. He pouted and continued with, "Please cousin! It would only be one night of scouting. When do I ever ask such favors?"

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that?" he asked sarcastically. Odysseus frowned.

"You're missing the point!" he protested, "Come on Jareth. Don't be such a stick in the mud!"

"I am not being a stick in the mud!" Jareth exclaimed indignantly. With a smirk, Odysseus crossed his arms.

"Prove it."

Several hours later, Jareth found himself in owl form, perched on King Priam's castle wall. Odysseus had left him to search out the other half of the castle grounds, and Jareth was far from amused. So far he barely avoided getting drenched with dishwater (at least, he hoped it was dishwater) being dumped from one of the castle windows, had at least five cats eye him in hopes of a meal and he was certain a female owl had tried to woo him. Jareth may have been young, but he was not foolish, and this little adventure was far from exciting.

_Damn you Odysseus!_ he thought as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, _This is completely ridiculous!_ He ruffled his feathers and prepared to take off, when a noise pulled his attention to the gardens below him.

"M'lady!" someone exclaimed. Jareth turned his head to see an elderly woman hurrying down the garden pathway. From among the rose bushes, a young woman rose up and turned to face the servant. The conversed for a few moments, and Jareth could see that the servant was upset about something when she turned and left. The girl however, looked relieved to be alone once more.

Glancing around, the girl shifted, and as she raised her skirt up, Jareth could see that she had taken her shoes off. Looking about one more time, the girl hurried towards the fountain across the path. She was obviously a mortal; even from this distance Jareth could tell. She lacked the grace to be anything but a mortal. Pulling her skirt up past her knees, she dipped one foot into the water and let out a sigh.

Jareth was growing uneasy watching the scene before him, not liking where it was heading. He was about to take off and leave the girl, when something struck his right shoulder. Turning his head almost all the way around, he caught sight of two elf-boys on the opposite side of the wall, each holding sling-shots and a handful of stones. One took aim, and Jareth launched himself into the air just before the stone would have struck him. However, he wasn't lucky a second time, as the other boy sent a rather large rock up to him. It hit his left wing, and with a screech, he was forced to land inside the gardens, unaware of the attention he was drawing from the girl.

_Great_. Now he was injured, inside enemy territory. He was going to murder Odysseus. If he was able to get out that is. Landing on a stone bench, Jareth twisted to get a better look at his wing. Damn. The brats' shots had torn half of the feathers from it, and he let out a small _squawk_ of annoyance and pain. Suddenly, something cold hit his beak. _Water._

"Oh, you poor thing!" Gentle, but cold and wet hands were encircling him, and he struggled to break out of their hold.

"Calm down, calm down." the voice soothed, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help." It was the girl, and she was dripping wet. Jareth tensed, but stopped struggling. Maybe she could help him if he remained cooperative. The girl seemed pleased by his reaction and softly stroked his head. It took all of Jareth's willpower not to snap at her. He. Hated. Being. Patronized.

"Now, can I look at your wing?" Jareth was certain her voice was not normally that high, but he shifted anyway, holding out his injured wing. The girl gasped, though Jareth wasn't sure why.

"Can I..." she hesitated, "Can I see... your other wing?" Unable to roll his eyes in owl form, Jareth mentally rolled them and held out his right wing with a wince; his shoulder was sore from the first rock. If only he was in his human form. Then he could just heal it himself and be on his way.

The girl quickly put him down and stepped back with another gasp, and Jareth got a better look at her. She was completely soaked, apparently having gone for a dip in the fountain. Her hair was dark and her eyes were green. She was rather pretty, Jareth thought, at least for a mortal. But what was a mortal doing in King Priam's gardens? She obviously wasn't a servant, and Jareth was certain she wasn't Princess Karen. _Why is she stepping back?_ he wondered.

"You can..." she stuttered, beginning to breath heavily, "You can understand me?" He did not just do that. Now his cover was blown. He hopped to fly away, but his injured wing wouldn't move quickly enough and he began to tumble. The girl quickly sprung forward and caught him before he could hit the ground however, and she held him at arm's length.

"It's getting cold," she stated, breathing still far above normal speed, "You won't last out here. If I take you inside, do you promise not to tear anything up?"

Jareth thought for a moment. It _was_ getting cold, and as long as he remained in this form, he would be safe. The girl seemed harmless enough, and maybe he could pick up some information while inside. He would be able to fly in the morning anyway...

With a squawk he hoped the girl translated as a yes, Jareth's fate for the night was sealed.

_Make sure to review!_


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: Yesss, I understand that this is a super duper short chapter, buuuut I really didn't want to add anything else to it. *insert guilty smile*_

Sarah was thrilled, and slightly dazed at the night's turn of events. What had started out as a simple swim in the fountain had turned into an animal rescue. Her mission now was to get this strange owl inside the castle without anyone seeing it. Ever since she had brought a baby raccoon into the kitchens several years ago, she had been banned from any form of pet. Looking up and down her person, Sarah tried to find a good way to hide the owl.

"Hmm." she muttered, thinking hard, "Where can I put you?" Tugging at her outer tunic, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Of all the days I chose not to wear those long sleeves!" Glancing around to see if anyone was watching, she peeled her soaked clothing away from her skin and separated her tunic from shift. "This will have to do." she said with a grimace.

Stuffing the owl down between the materials, Sarah made another face. "Just... don't think about it." she muttered, though not sure if she was talking to herself or the owl. Hugging the bird close to her chest, she took a deep breath and took off in a run towards the castle, dearly hoping she wouldn't get caught.

Jareth meanwhile, was very, _very_ uncomfortable. The girl was running, and he was jostled back and forth with every step she took. It was becoming increasingly humid with the combined heat of her exercise, his breath and the dampness of her clothes and Jareth was certain he was suffocating. _I am going to **slaughter** Odysseus_, he swore, fighting the urge to break free of the girl's grip as they entered the castle.

Sarah decided that going through the kitchens would be the best way to enter the castle. With all the cooks and servants hustling and bustling in preparation for dinner, she would be able to slip through with little to no notice. And even if someone did see her, they would hardly recognize her in her dripping-wet state.

Ducking behind a large cart holding dishes, Sarah wheeled it alongside her with one hand. Once she reached the door to the main corridor, she forcefully sent the cart rattling back into the kitchens, where it hit a counter with a crash. Without looking back, she hurried down the hall towards the main staircase. However, the sound of footsteps made her halt.

Sarah hastily side-stepped into an alcove, just as Karen came around the corner to enter the dining hall. _Too close._ She was going to get into so much trouble if her sister caught her running around the castle, soaked to the bone and carrying a mysterious bundle in her dress that just happened to be a living creature. Peeking out and finding the coast clear, Sarah tip-toed out of her hiding place and hurried to the stairs.

"Princess Sarah!" someone called out. It was Nissa. Sarah quickly shifted the ow from her chest to her side and turned slightly, hoping she didn't look too guilty. "Nissa!" Sarah gasped, "I though you would be at dinner."

Nissa shook her head upon seeing Sarah's soaked clothes and smiled. "I was just on my way. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah." she admonished gently, "I should have known you weren't ill. What did you do this time?"

Forcing herself to smile, Sarah shuffled her feet. "It was warm out in the gardens." she supplied, "And I may have... possibly swam in one of the..." she trailed off.

With a knowing roll of her eyes, Nissa replied, "Oh Sarah. What if someone had seen you?" Sarah wanted to make a face. _Please please don't turn this into a lecture about decorum_. she pleaded internally.

"I wasn't thinking at the time." Sarah answered, hoping she sounded convincing enough, "Had I not come to such a conclusion as you, I would be outside still. The water was glorious."

Nissa studied her carefully, as if she didn't quite believe her story, and Sarah held her breath. Finally, Nissa waved her hand and smiled. "Well, go on then," she laughed, "You'll surely catch your death of cold if you stay in those clothes for much longer. I will see you at dinner." She turned and walked towards the dining room, still chuckling at what she thought were just Sarah's mortal antics.

Once Nissa was out of sight, Sarah breathed a deep sigh of relief. She needed to move faster if she didn't want to risk getting caught by someone else. Using one hand, she bunched her skirts up to avoid tripping and held the owl close with her other hand and mounted the stairs, taking two at a time. This method seemed to be working, until the owl shifted and startled Sarah.

Dropping her dress, she stopped and clutched at the owl with both hands, shushing him. "We're almost there," she whispered, "Hang on." Taking another step, her bare foot caught her wet skirt and with a small cry, Sarah slipped and tumbled down to the bottom of the staircase. She lay in a crumpled heap for a moment, and the owl flapped its escape from the confines of her tunic. Shakily, she pushed herself to a sitting position, spitting blood from her split lip. Her jaw hurt like the devil, and she was pretty sure her cheek was scraped and bleeding.

Wincing, Sarah carefully checked her elbows and knees for bruising or broken bones. Everything seemed to be in order, and she picked up the owl off the floor with a pained sigh. "Let's go." she mumbled, lip swelling rapidly. As she shifted her weight to her other foot, however, her ankle screamed in protest. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Sarah limped up the steps, and painfully hurried to her room doing her best to ignore the pain for the time being. She still needed to get out of sight.

Finally, her quarters came in sight, and Sarah gratefully pushed open the door, taking a moment after shutting it to lean against it and catch her breath. Once her heart rate slowed back to normal speed, she limped across the room. Setting the owl on her writing desk, Sarah turned to find a handkerchief for her bloody lip.

"I think I'm going to need some ice." she moaned, voice muffled by the cloth pressed to her mouth as she sat down in her desk chair, rubbing her surely sprained ankle. Checking her lip with her fingertips and satisfied that it was at least not bleeding, she turned her attention to the owl on her desk. He eyed her skeptically and Sarah took a deep breath.

"Can I see your wing?" she asked slowly, hoping he would understand and respond. When he lifted his wing, her eyes lit up, though a jolt of fear shot through her. This owl could understand her. That was definitely not normal, and Sarah wasn't sure if it was a good thing. Pushing those thoughts into the back of her mind, she gently took hold of his wing and examined it. The damage didn't look too terrible and she looked the owl in his eyes.

"There isn't much wrong with it," she informed it, certain he was listening, "You just need to rest your wing a little." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "You can stay in here for the night if you keep quiet." She attempted to smile, but the action opened the cut on her lip and it began bleeding again. Raising her fingers to her lip, Sarah winced as she tenderly pressed the wound. "You'd better not do anything to make me regret bringing you in here." she groaned, turning to fix a look at the owl.

"I need to change," Sarah announced, "But my ankle is killing me. Ugh. What a mess." Sucking in a deep breath, she raised her foot and placed it on her desk. "I'll bet you didn't know that elevating injuries reduces swelling." she proudly informed the owl. Placing both hands on her ankle, she winced as she felt around. "Oh gods," she gasped in pain, "I think it might be broken." _Brilliant._

Letting go of her ankle and leaning back in her chair, Sarah pointed a finger at the owl. "I need someone to look at this," she said sternly, "And that means you have to find somewhere in here to hide." The owl regarded her motionlessly and she rolled her eyes. "Come on then," she sighed impatiently, "I know you understand what I'm saying. Go under the bed or something." She shifted and inhaled sharply as the movement jostled her ankle. The pain was getting worse and involuntary tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

Jareth meanwhile, was having a huge internal battle with himself. He felt incredibly guilty that the girl had broken her ankle helping him, and he knew for a fact that he would be able to heal the bone with ease. However, that would mean switching forms and blowing his cover, therefore risking his life. But the girl was obviously in pain. Pain indirectly caused by him, and the guilt was persistently tugging at his conscience. Besides, he could always wipe the memory into nothing but a dream...

A small, poorly-hidden whimper from the girl dragged Jareth's attention back to the desk. She hesitantly lowered her foot and stood up, gingerly putting her weight on the other. "I'm calling for a servant," she informed Jareth, "So hurry up and hide, you dumb bird." The girl took two small steps, before sitting on her desk with a pained grunt. As she leaned her head back, Jareth could hear her whisper, "damn." His resolve broke.

Hopping off the desk with a weak flap, Jareth landed awkwardly on the floor. "Thank you." the girl breathed gratefully, "Under the bed _is_ clean, if you want to hide there." Ignoring her, Jareth focused on switching forms. Switching from Fae to owl was easy, but going from owl to Fae required a little more concentration due to the fact that he was still slightly owl-minded. Closing his eyes, he pictured his bones and muscles stretching and shifting back to arm and leg shape and willed them to do so.

At the same time, Sarah had her eyes sealed shut and was counting backwards from ten in an attempt to clear her mind of the pain. So far this approach wasn't working, and she breathed deeply. Opening her eyes, Sarah glanced around to see if the owl had taken her advice. It hadn't. Instead it was sitting on the stone floor, eyes shut. He looked like he was in pain, and Sarah opened her mouth to ask if he was all right. Before she could get the words out, however the bird exploded in a cloud of glitter-dust.

With a cry, Sarah dropped to her knees and scrambled towards the cloud, though she could not see anything through it. "Are you all right?" she gasped, groping around and choking on the dust. Her hand finally grasped something firm and she yanked on it, hoping the owl was unharmed. Whatever she had a grip on didn't budge, and instead something made a sound that sounded almost... _human_.

Releasing her hold, Sarah frantically scooted backwards until her back hit the desk. She watched in horror as the glitter cleared and a figure rose from a crouching position. It stretched, and flexed its left arm with a groan.

"Oh gods." Sarah breathed. The figure turned its head and the dust cleared completely, revealing slightly pointed teeth, triangular brows and tapered ears.

_A Fae_.

"I'm quite all right, thank you. Now let me see your ankle."

_Make sure to leave me a review!_


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Wow. Um, hi everybody. Is anyone still out there? I'm not going to bore you with pathetic excuses as to why this story hasn't been updated in months. I'll just keep it simple: I've been extremely busy. :P If you're not too angry at me for leaving this story alone for so long, please enjoy this tiny peace offering. I can't promise a fast update after this, but know that I have not given up on this story!_

**xXx**

Sarah's mouth dropped in shock, and she found herself unable to speak. The tall Fae drew closer, and in terror, she pressed herself even tighter against the desk.

"C-come any closer and... and I'll scream." she gasped, finally finding her voice. The Fae drew a little closer held out one hand as he knelt to her level.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quickly, voice smoother than silk, "Don't scream." Sarah blanched and shook her head. Opening and closing her mouth, she groped for words.

"Leave me alone." she whispered, edging away from the desk, "If you leave now, I won't tell anyone you were here." She reached the end of the desk and began scooting backwards. However, the movement sent a shot of pain through her ankle, and she stopped suddenly, face contorting into a grimace. She clamped her hands over her swollen ankle, but quickly retracted them when the action hurt even more.

"I can fix your ankle," the Fae pressed, coming even closer, "Just relax."

Sarah wanted to protest, thrash, scream, kick, yell... anything to get attention! However her ankle was hurting more and more, and instead, all that came out of her mouth was a whimper. _So weak!_ she berated herself, _Pull yourself together Sarah!_

"I give my word that no harm will befall you." the Fae told her, breaking her from her thoughts, "I bear no ill will." Sarah sucked in a breath, thinking for a moment.

"You give your word?" she asked, hesitant to trust this stranger. Only moments before he had been an _owl_! How could she be sure he wouldn't attempt something indecent?

"On my life." he replied seriously, "I swear to it. You will not be harmed."

Sarah closed her eyes in shock and deliberation. He swore on his life; the ultimate promise for a Fae. Surely he couldn't be lying after such an oath as that. It practically violated all Fae mores. From what she knew, no Fae would ever violate a life-oath. Finally, she gave him a nearly imperceptible nod.

"All right." she whispered, eyes still shut, dearly hoping she made the right decision. The Fae moved forward slowly, doing his best not to startle her with sudden movement. He grasped her bare (and slightly muddy) foot with one hand, and circled her ankle with the other. Muttering something under his breath, Sarah's eyes shot open as she recognized the words to be Fae. She had never heard them before, but before she could wonder too much about them, the bones in her ankle snapped back into place.

The Fae's hand clapped over her mouth just as she screamed in agony and shock, and in the very back of her mind, Sarah was grateful of that. However, the pain was so intense that she felt dizzy, and had to lean back on her elbows in order to keep from toppling over. Meanwhile, the Fae was saying something.

..."I apologize... didn't want...anticipate the pain...only make it worse..." Sarah shook her head, clearing out the cobwebs. He was apologizing for something. The pain maybe? It was already fading, and as her mind cleared, she realized she needed to get off the floor.

"Help me up?" she ground out through clenched teeth, holding out her arm. She wasn't going to stay in that improper position a minute longer. Standing up, the Fae extended his hand and took hold of hers. "The pain won't last long." he informed her, "Your ankle is completely healed; you can walk on it now." Nodding distractedly, Sarah gripped his hand a little too hard, still getting over the pain of having her bones re-rearrange themselves. The Fae winced and guided her over to the desk, seating her down at the chair.

The room became uncomfortable, as the Fae stood awkwardly at her side and little jolts of pain were still traveling up and down Sarah's leg, making her slightly distracted. The Fae seemed to be studying her room, eyes finally landing on her desk, scattered with poetry and translations. Had Sarah been paying attention, she would have seen his eyes widen slightly in recognition at the words. However, she was doing her best not to look at the stranger and was instead staring at her floor. Finally, after what seemed like eternity and when she couldn't take the silence any longe, Sarah blurted out, "I'm Sarah."

Raising an eyebrow, the Fae looked amused. "Is that so?" he asked. Sarah wanted to crawl into a hole. _How embarrassing._

"Yes." she answered, shifting uncomfortably. She paused, and then added, "Well are you... you know... going to tell me your name?" This time, the Fae actually smirked and Sarah's cheeks flamed. Where was this brazenness coming from?

"Since you asked so politely." the Fae replied sarcastically with a deep bow, "My name is Jareth." He walked around to face Sarah from the other side of the desk.

"Just Jareth?" Sarah asked curiously, "Forgive me if I seem rude, but from what I've read, Fa- your kind have more than one name."

Jareth shook his head amusedly. "And I'm certain you have more than just Sarah as your name."

"Touché"

Glancing around the room, Jareth spoke up at length. "Well I suppose I must take my leave." He flexed his shoulder, testing how it felt. Now in his human form, he was able to relieve the soreness with magic, and he did so, leaving it better than before. Walking over to the window, he turned around. "Thank you, Sarah." he said, "I am grateful for your assistance, and I apologize that I caused you to inure yourself in the process."

_He's leaving?_ Sarah knew of course, that it was the only reasonable and proper thing to do, however, she was disappointed. She'd never actually been able to speak to a Fae about anything but court matters; this was exciting. She had so many questions she could ask him, so many things to observe and say. Depending on the outcome of the war, she might never have such a chance as this again.

"Thank you," she replied instead of voicing her displeasure. It would be highly improper and completely implausible to ask him to stay anyway. She stood up slowly and walked around her desk, "For fixing my ankle." she continued, "I wasn't quite sure what I would tell everyone when they asked what happened."

Jareth smirked again. "You are welcome Lady Sarah."

"Princess." Sarah correctly automatically. Then realizing what she had given away, she clapped both hands over her mouth in horror. _Oh no._ Jareth's smirk faded and he turned completely away from the window, taking a step closer to her.

"Princess?" he repeated. Sarah slid her hands up to press against her forehead. "What have I done?" she moaned to herself, and then added after a moment, "Yes. Princess."

Obviously thinking very hard, Jareth stated, "You are not an elf." It was more of a question. Sarah shook her head.

"I'm the mortal Karen's sister." she said reluctantly, lowering her hands, "I know you can't see much of a resemblance." She laughed bitterly.

All of the blood seemed to have left Jareth's face. "Oh gods." he whispered, "You're her _sister_." He seemed to sway just a little.

"Who are you?" Sarah demanded, now seriously concerned over who she may have brought into the castle, "You're not just any Fae, are you?" she stopped short and blanched. "You're not... you're not King Menelaus are you?"

With a mirthless chuckle, Jareth shook his head. "No," he replied hoarsely, "I'm not Menelaus. I am Jareth Androcles Gaylen Lysandersson the First, King of the Goblins."

The name "Lysandersson" and the title King of the Goblins struck a bell in Sarah's mind. "King of the goblins, king of the goblins," she muttered, "Why does that sound so-" she stopped, eyes widening in horror.

"You're High Heir!" she gasped, panic etched across her face. He was her future High King. "Oh my... oh gods..." Sarah trailed off, too shocked to form a coherent sentence. This was too much to take in. Neither said a thing, too shocked and horrified; the silence was deafening and felt like it was closing around on her, smothering her with its weight. However, before Sarah could become hysterical from it, Jareth broke the silence.

"I suppose it doesn't need saying that we won't speak of this. Ever." he stated cooly. Slightly taken aback by his formal tone, Sarah shook her head.

"You won't hear a word from me." she assured quickly. Jareth nodded in approval.

"And I shall keep silent as well." he replied, "Goodbye _Princess_ Sarah." Sarah cringed at the emphasis, but dropped a curtsey.

"Farewell your highness," she bade softly. The Goblin King turned around and prepared to switch forms, but Sarah's voice stopped him.

"I guess this means I won't see you ever again." Jareth froze at these words. Turning back around, he stared at her.

"That all hinges on this war." he said gravely. Sarah lowered her gaze and sighed. _That's_ o_dd_. Jareth frowned in confusion, _She seems almost... unhappy to be here._

Hesitating, he asked slowly, "Are you discontent living in the Elven kingdom?"

Indignantly, Sarah's head shot back up. "How can you- how can you even _ask_ such a thing of me?" she spluttered, groping for words, "Do you wish me dead?" She began to pace, his question obviously opening the gates to a flood of already well thought ideas. "If I answer yes, I commit treason against King Priam. If I answer you no, then I commit treason against you! You have me backed into a corner!" Her voice had been rising throughout her tirade, and now she was practically screaming.

"Keep your voice down!" Jareth hissed. The last thing he needed was to be caught. He could fly now that he had been able to heal his shoulder, but he doubted he would make it past the castle's archers once discovered. Footsteps passed by her door, and both Jareth and Sarah froze, afraid to even breathe. Suddenly, his eyes found hers, and they locked in a silent exchange as they both realized his safe escape lay in her hands.

"You'd better go." Sarah whispered, gesturing to the window. Jareth nodded and backed up, eyes still locked on hers. He sat on the window sill, and was about to jump off, when he stopped and looked as though he wanted to say something.

"You need to get out of here." Sarah pressed, "Hurry, before someone catches you." She walked over to the window, and for a moment, Jareth thought she might push him out. Instead, she simply placed both hands on the sill and looked out at the now moonlit ocean. "You have to leave _now_." she said softly, "You'll get caught if you stay any longer, and I'm sure your troops are missing you."

Surprising himself, Jareth took up one of Sarah's hands in his own. "Rest assured I won't forget this," he told her, eyes focused on their hands, "When we win this war, you will not have to be concerned for your well-being. As long as you are among Fae, you will be safe." And with that, he let go and tumbled backwards out of the window.

Sarah barely suppressed a shriek as he disappeared in a flutter of clothing; though she knew he would be fine, the abruptness startled her. Silence was even more important now that he was flying away, and Sarah was grateful she had enough self-control to keep quiet... -ish.

She watched the white owl fly over the castle wall without so much as a glance back, and only when he disappeared into the darkness did she turn away from the window. With a sigh, she began pulling off her damp clothing. It seemed almost impossible to go back to normal life after such a strange encounter.

_He said 'when'_, she thought, dragging her chemise over her head, _When they win the war. Is he so certain that they will?_ Tossing her soiled clothes carelessly in a corner, Sarah hurried to redress, the cool night air urging her to dress faster. She was probably going to catch a cold from wearing her wet clothes for so long, and her sister would be sure to ask about her split lip in the morning.

_Goodness knows how big my lip will have swollen in the morning,_ she mused, _I should get some ice to put on it. Maybe then it won't swell any larger._ Now dressed in a clean night-shift, Sarah grabbed a robe out of her wardrobe and exited her room in hopes she would run into a servant.

As she tip-toed through the castle, Sarah realized that her ankle _was_ completely healed. It didn't hurt at all, and felt good as new. The Fa- _Goblin King_- had done an excellent job. _I wonder if I could_ _learn how to do that_. she pondered as she walked slowly down the stairs. She didn't want another tumble, and she kept a good grip on the stair railing to keep from tripping.

As she drew nearer to the kitchens, Sarah was surprised that she hadn't run into any other servants. The castle was strangely devoid of activity, which was unnerving. Sarah quickened her pace, feeling very uncomfortable with the eerie situation. Something obviously wasn't right. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sarah entered the kitchen, finding it still as full of servants as it had been earlier that day. However, her relief didn't last very long. One servant caught sight of her, and let out a shriek.

"Oh god! The princess too!"

Suddenly, Sarah was surrounded by a swarm of servants displaying various degrees of panic. She couldn't understand what any of them were saying, as they quickly plunked her down on a nearby stool and began fussing over her lip. Slowly, she managed to make out a few sentences through the mayhem.

"Princess! Are you all right?"

"Bring ice!"

"Who did this?"

"Did you see?"

"How many fingers am I holding up, your highness?"

"Get me some ice now!"

"Give her some breathing room!"

"Bloody hell! Where the blazes is that ice?"

Throwing her hands up, Sarah waved the servants off. "I'm all right." she protested, "I just need some ice for my lip." A young boy pushed through the small throng holding a chunk of ice wrapped in a napkin and handed it to her with a swift bow. Gratefully, Sarah pressed it to her lip and closed her eyes with a sigh. The ice was definitely helping.

"Your majesty," Madelin, the head cook, spoke up, "Who did this to you?" Sarah frowned and shook her head.

"No one did." she replied, voice muffled by the ice, "I fell down the stairs." There was a murmur that spread through the dozen or so servants surrounding her, and Sarah wished again that the Goblin King had healed her lip as well. Explaining that she had fallen down the stairs was humbling; and _not_ in a good way.

"Did someone push you perhaps?" Sarah frowned in puzzlement.

"No one pushed me," she answered slowly, "Why would you ask something like that?"

The servants all looked at one another, as if hesitant to answer. Finally, the boy who gave her the ice spoke up.

"The king's study has been raided."

_A/N: Maybe if you're not super mad at me, you could leave me a review?_


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N: Well slam, slam, oh hot damn! You all have totally made me the happiest fanfiction writer alive. I was certain that you lovely readers would have given up on this story, but my inbox has been inundated with love from you guys. I feel so very very happy that you all are still enjoying this story, since I am still having fun writing it, even though it takes a while... Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites everyone! I love every single one of you!_

**xXx**

As soon as the Goblin King was out of the castle's sight, he quickened his flight and made a beeline for the camps. He wasn't going to bother finding Odysseus; it was his fault they were in this muddle in the first place. His cousin could find his own way back, because Jareth was not going to assist him in any way. Landing atop his tent's front post, he took a moment to preen his feathers of the bugs and dust that had gathered among them. Preening done, he swooped down in front of his temporary home and switched forms in a puff of glitter-dust.

It was with relief that Jareth stepped inside his tent. He needed sleep. A lot of it. Stripping off his shirt (the one that still had oatmeal on it!), Jareth sat down and began tugging his boots off. With a sigh, he flopped backwards onto his unmade bed. _Finally_. His eyes had been shut for all of a minute when someone rapped on his tent post. Whoever it was didn't wait for permission to enter, and Jareth could tell by their footsteps that they were excited about something.

"You will never believe what I have done!"

_Odysseus. _

"Go away cousin." Jareth groaned, "I haven't the patience to speak with you." Had his arm not been covering his face, Jareth would have seen his cousin give off a childish pout.

"You didn't wait for me." Odysseus stated, frown evident in his voice, "I don't suppose _you_ found anything of interest?"

Jareth was caught off guard. Did he tell him of all that transpired earlier? "Did you?" he asked instead, turning the subject away from himself. He removed the arm from his face and sat up. Odysseus's frown was quickly replaced by a grin and he crossed his arms.

"Better than that." he replied, "I didn't just observe. I took action." He reached into a pocket within his shirt and pulled out a small piece of parchment. "Care to see?" He waved it in front of Jareth's face cockily before dropping it into his lap. "Have a look, hmm?"

With a skeptical glance towards his cousin, Jareth carefully unfolded the paper. To his surprise, it was much bigger than he anticipated, having been folded with magic. Stretching it out with both hands, he studied it in confusion.

"What is it?"

Odysseus rolled his eyes in annoyance. "This," he explained, pointing at the parchment excitedly, "Is none other than the Map. The only way to navigate the Elven city's catacombs."

This time it was Jareth's turn to frown. "Catacombs?" he repeated, "But there are no such thing. We searched the outer walls and scanned with magic years ago and found nothing." He handed the parchment back to Odysseus and shook his head. "I'm sorry to rain on your hopes, but-"

"Don't you understand?" Odysseus interrupted, snatching the page from Jareth, "They've been warded with magic and hidden for generations! Of course we wouldn't see them; they bury their _dead_ there! You should know elvish customs well enough to know why we haven't found any hint of them."

"Once a body has been laid to rest, remain in rest it must lay." Jareth recited, realization dawning, "So you're saying that we wouldn't have found these catacombs, because the elves hid them." He leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. "Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" He grinned at the irony of it. Looking back up at his cousin, he asked, "Where did you find this information?"

Odysseus pretended to polish his fingers on his shirt. "I found it in none other than King Priam's study." he said proudly, "You would not believe my cunning and stealth! I swooped through the open window- the old man really needs better security!- into his study, and changed forms. Then I snooped around and read a document that referred to the catacombs. Obviously, I figured out that they elves had been hiding something. Honestly, where would they keep their dead without the catacombs? Anyway, I looked some more, and finally found that map. Unfortunately, I did leave behind evidence I was there." Jareth was about to say something, but Odysseus shushed him. "Nothing too incriminating." he said quickly, "I heard voices outside the door, so I left in a rush and may have left a drawer open as well as a few documents on the desk."

"So now the elves know we were spying on them?" Jareth asked seriously, "Odysseus, do you even understand the gravity of that fact?" He shook his head in disgust. "You are the elder and yet you seem so careless."

"Nothing will come of it, Jareth." Odysseus snapped, "The elves think their walls are impenetrable, as they are, and will not suspect we are responsible."

"This is a war Odysseus!" Jareth countered hotly, standing up, "Of course they will look to us." Odysseus rolled his eyes.

"Well it will not matter anymore," he stated, holding up the map, "As we now have a way to get through their defenses." He turned on his heel. "Put a shirt on, cousin, and meet me in the battle tent. I am certain the rest of the kings will be glad to hear of this piece of information. I would imagine battle planning will follow very quickly." Pulling back the flap, he exited the tent, but stopped and turned around. "And don't dally." he added, "I venture to guess you've wasted your entire afternoon doing nothing but sitting on a tree branch. This won't take long and then you can go back to being lazy."

With a sigh of annoyance, Jareth rummaged through his things and snatched up a clean shirt to put on. If Odysseus knew the truth, he wouldn't speak so blithely about Jareth's escapades. After yanking his boots up his legs, he left the tent. On his way to the battle tent, he took the time to recount the evening's events in his head. He was still unsure if he should share what had transpired with anyone else. The girl, Sarah she said her name was, was none other than sister to the whole reason the war had started.

And not only that; this stranger also knew the Fae language. And had access to Fae documents! If that didn't scream 'suspicious!', Jareth didn't know what did. What sort of a mortal could read and understand Fae?

It had taken quite a bit of self-control not to react when he saw the papers on her desk. Scrolls of poetry, some written in Fae, some in the Mortal tongue littered the wooden surface. It was obvious she had been translating them. The handwriting on the mortal papers was too swooped and loopy to be a scribe's and he had caught at least one grammatical error in his quick glance. Still, the translation seemed decent. There was a possibility of the Elf King using her as a weapon.

But she had seemed so _honest_. Truly conflicted about where she stood. Jareth had met many spies, and observed the way they lied. This girl, this Sarah was not lying, was not a spy; he was certain of it. Besides, one didn't study Fae war tactics by reading and translating poetry. Perhaps she was simply an passionate poet herself and believed Fae to be the best poetry both Above and Underground.

But that didn't take away from the fact that she obviously _understood Fae_. That fact was suspicious, and needed to be treated as such. What being in the Elven kingdom took the time to learn Fae? And a mortal no less. It was not normal.

And so Jareth wrestled with these thoughts, warring with himself as he tried to develop his thoughts and beliefs on the matter. His dilemma was cut short however, as he came to the entrance of the battle tent, already rustling with kings curious as to why they were called away from dinner. He took his place at the front of the tent, where Menelaus and Odysseus were already standing. Odysseus shot him a grin and Jareth could tell he was brimming with anticipation.

And honestly, why shouldn't he be? The information he found could bring the war to a swift end after all the years of fighting. Odysseus would probably be hailed as a hero. His name would be honored for generations. But not only that; more Fae lives would be saved. Fathers, sons, husbands and brothers could return to their families, after being separated for so long. Yes, Odysseus had every right to be excited.

But Jareth was too caught up in his thoughts catch his cousin's excitement. He hardly heard Odysseus explain what he found as he pulled out the map and the entire tent erupted into shocked chaos. He barely noticed the beings around him beginning to argue and bicker with one another about what should be done with the information. And he almost missed the hand that reached for the map in his cousin's hand amidst the confusion.

Almost, but not quite.

In an instant, Jareth had snapped himself back to attention, and with cat-like grace and speed, snatched the paper from his cousin before the would-be thief could grab it. However, he didn't get a chance to see who was trying to take the map, but Jareth had a suspicion it was only someone who wanted to look at it for themselves. Still, one couldn't be too careful.

"Don't lose this!" he hissed into Odysseus's ear as he pulled the shocked Fae closer, "And keep a sharper eye! If the map goes missing it will cost lives." Odysseus nodded, still in shock and took the parchment back, tucking it into his shirt.

With a shake of his head, Jareth now fixed his whole attention on the pandemonium in front of him. It was understandable that all would be surprised by Odysseus's revelation, however it seemed that everyone was taking their surprise too far. _War certainly changes the way one acts_, Jareth though wryly,_ Ten years ago none of these kings would have reacted in this manner._

Raising his arms, Jareth loudly clapped his hands together. Fortunately, that motion captured the attention of everyone in the tent, and Jareth breathed a sigh of relief as the tent quieted down.

"I see no reason why we cannot discuss this like civilized beings," he stated as the kings sheepishly shuffled back to their original places, "Discovering a possible strategy to defeat the elves, even one as incredible as this, does not require us to act like children. If we want to capitalize on this valuable piece of information, we must be swift, precise, and above all, stealthy and intelligent." He was about to continue, when Menelaus stepped forward.

"King Jareth is right," he cut in, "We must be swift in our action. Tonight we strategize and a week from tomorrow we shall attack." He smirked and turned around to face the large map pinned to the tent's wall, "If we were to place a battalion in this quadrant-"

"Excuse me your highness," Jareth interrupted, making an effort to control his flaring temper, "But I believe you did not hear all I was saying. Stealth is of the utmost importance; while we must be swift, we must also be cunning. A week will not be enough time for us to formulate and prepare an adequate battle plan."

If looks could kill, Jareth was sure he'd be six feet under from the glare Menelaus was shooting his way. He obviously hated the way Jareth was overruling his authority by scrapping his battle plan. Had Jareth been anyone else, he probably would have spent the night in the stocks for his insolence. But Jareth was High Heir, and Menelaus's superior. There was nothing the older Fae could do but seethe and listen to Jareth's plan.

"Last night we developed a plan to place the Elven kingdom under siege," Jareth continued, ignoring Menelaus's irritation, "I believe we should carry out that plan as we are already in preparation for those particular tactics. Our biggest obstacle is the city's fortifications; if we can get past the wall, we will have the city in our possession and this war can finally end."

Odysseus seemed to catch onto his cousin's logic and stepped forward. "We can send a small group of soldiers through the catacombs. Once in the city, they will open the gates from the inside and it will be significantly easier to destroy the wall and get our troops in." As he finished speaking, Odysseus seemed surprised at how simple it sounded when spoken.

"My thoughts exactly," Jareth replied, "This group would be made up of our finest warriors and spies. Of course, it would have to be of the utmost secrecy. This plan cannot leave the tent until we have chosen who these warriors will be, and even then only the chosen can know of this."

A ripple of agreement passed through the tent, and Menelaus grew more irritated at the both the young Fae overtaking what he assumed was to be his triumph. However, no one noticed his frown as various kings began volunteering their best spies and soldiers for the "elite" as it was beginning to be called.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Weeeellll the response to my last chapter wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. Lol, I'll let that slide, since I love you all so much. Special thanks to all who subscribed, favorited, and reviewed. You guys rock my socks!

**xXx**

Meanwhile, back in the castle several hours earlier, Sarah nearly dropped the ice she was holding against her mouth at the servant boy's revelation. The king's study had been raided? Her thoughts immediately flew to the Fae-... King Jareth- and she wondered if instead of flying back to the war camps by sea, he had taken time to spy. Had she damned the elves with her act of kindness? Had she given herself a chance to be free of the elves' sexist social norms? Had it even been a Fae who had raided the study in the first place?

All these thoughts flew through her mind in a matter of seconds, leaving her dazed, and the first thing to come out of her mouth was a muffled, "Huh?"

"His majesty's files have been looted," one of the servants supplied, "Though no one is certain anything has been taken yet."

"We can only hope nothing was," another one added, "Taken, that is." The servants seemed eager to gossip about what had transpired, and Sarah knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they all began talking at once with their theories on what happened.

"I should speak with Agemos about this," She said quickly, handing her ice pack to the boy who made the first announcement. She could tell that tensions were rising in the kitchen, and Sarah felt she could do most good far away from it. Perhaps Agemos would have genuine information on what had happened. Hopping off stool, she gently pushed her way through the gathering and swiftly left the kitchen before anyone could protest.

She had made it halfway to the king's study when she nearly ran smack into Prince Arden, who looked as though he was in some hurry. When he realized who he bumped into however, his eyes lit up and he stopped his brisk pace.

"Princess," he greeted in a tone Sarah couldn't quite place, "What are the odds that I would bump into just the person I was looking for?" He flashed her a smile, but it was one that gave Sarah little comfort. "My father requests your presence in his study. Apparently he has need of your Fae-loving skills to discern whether or not it was a Fae that raided his private files."

Ignoring the prince's jab, Sarah simply nodded, not wanted to get into an argument with him. "I take it he is already in his study then?" she asked for clarification, wincing as her words aggravated her lip.

Arden smirked and swept an arm in the study's direction. "Indeed, and he is most impatient to have you investigate. I suggest you hurry."

Sarah nodded and made to continue walking, but Arden caught her tightly by the arm. "Princess, what happened to your face?" he asked, though his tone revealed little compassion.

"I tripped and tumbled down the stairs," Sarah answered briskly, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable and exposed in her night-robe, "Please let go of my arm, Arden."

The elf prince obliged, letting her arm drop. "Go on then," he said, making a shooing motion in the direction of King Priam's study, "Don't keep my father waiting." He turned on his heel, leaving Sarah alone in the hall to ponder his odd behavior. He had never manhandled, for that was exactly what it felt like, her before. She hoped it wasn't a habit he would get into as she rubbed her arm where he had grabbed it.

Shaking the unpleasant thoughts from her head, Sarah quickly made her way to King Priam's study. As she entered, she could see that Agemos as well as Priam's advisor Riminir were already there alongside the king. Slipping up beside her friend, she tugged on his long sleeve, making him aware of her arrival. Agemos greeted her with a small smile before turning his attention back to what Riminir was saying.

"The Fae are easily traced, majesty," the advisor pressed, "They leave a distinctive magical glitter signature. Being such flashy creatures, they leave very obvious evidence."

Sarah rolled her eyes. She was sure Riminir meant well, but he often spoke as though he knew such facts when in fact he didn't. Catching Sarah's skeptical look, Agemos asked, "Is this true, Sarah?"

Riminir and King Priam immediately turned their full attention to the girl and she shrugged. "Yes and no," she answered, choosing her words carefully. Offending the advisor by pointing out his lack of knowledge would get her absolutely nowhere. "The Fae are able to mask their signatures. While they are fond of making big, glitter-filled entrances, they are also masters of stealth."

Riminir shot her a glare and Sarah averted her eyes. Now was not the time to antagonize the advisor any further. King Priam frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose in thought.

"Are you saying that we can never be fully certain a Fae was the one who broke in?" He asked at length.

"It all depends on how careless the intruder was," Sarah replied, "Was anything taken tonight? If anything relating to the war was stolen, it would give us more of an idea of who broke in."

All three of the men shook their heads. "So far, nothing has been found missing," Agemos spoke up, "But we cannot be sure. There are countless important files stored in this room, each one full of even more important documents. It could take weeks to discover if anything was taken."

Priam groaned. "Until we can be certain, we must double the guard around this study. We cannot risk another break in. Sarah, have you any advice on what measures to take, in the event a Fae did indeed take something of value?"

Racking her brain for a useful piece of information, Sarah opened her mouth and then shut it awkwardly. "Your best option would simply be to keep a watchful eye on Fae activity in general," she finally said, "If they display a rapid turnabout in battle tactics, you can be sure they've found something to exploit."

Riminir nodded. "I agree," he spoke up, eager to move the spotlight back to himself, "Perhaps we should increase our intelligence forces-"

"Bad idea," Sarah cut in, before realizing she was speaking out loud. _Way to go._ "What I mean to say is," she mumbled, trying to recover, "That we can't be too conspicuous. The Fae will notice more spies, thus realizing that we know that they know something."

Agemos gave Sarah a subtle nudge. _Time to shut up now_, she thought wryly. King Priam nodded vaguely at her advice.

"Thank you, Princess," he said distractedly, "That is all the time I am in need of from you."

With a silent curtsey, Sarah turned and left the room quickly. She was glad the king hadn't reacted negatively to her interrupting of Riminir. Honestly, she hadn't meant to speak her thoughts out loud. It was just that he was so big-headed, thinking his intelligence was superior to all others, when he didn't know what he was talking about at all.

Walking back down the hall, Sarah felt her stomach give out a large growl. With a small groan, she remembered that she skipped dinner when she decided to help the Goblin King. Now she was regretting not eating much the entire day, and she made her way back to the kitchen for the fourth time in twenty-four hours.

As she had anticipated, Sarah found the kitchen abuzz with gossiping servants. Each one seemed to double the amount of things they usually said, and the racket was deafening. Sarah had to actually shout to get one of the chef's attention, and he was standing right next to her! Finally, however, she got her point across, and the chef promised to send up a tray of food to her room as soon as possible.

Content with the fact that food would soon be within her grasp, Sarah made her way back to her room. However, as she entered the hallway, she walked past her bedroom door and continued till she came to her sister's quarters. Karen would no doubt be completely oblivious to the fact that King Priam's study had been broken into, and Sarah decided it would be wiser to fill her in on the situation, if only to keep her from making a fool of herself.

Raising a fist to knock on the door, Sarah paused, hearing raised voices behind the intricately carved wood. It sounded like Arden was in the room, and he and Karen were in an argument of some sort.

"You cannot tell me this is the only way," one voice- Karen- protested. She sounded upset. "I have always supported you and your decisions, but I draw the line here!"

"My love, it _is_ the only way," Arden retorted, "Do you want this to end or not? You _will_ comply with my wishes if you want to end this."

Karen was crying; Sarah could hear her sniffs and barely suppressed sobs. What were they talking about that could make her so upset? She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but it seemed like Sarah was glued to the door.

"Enough. This will happen and you will follow through with what is expected of you." Sarah could hear Arden's footsteps approaching the door, and she frantically pushed herself away. Running silently back to her door, she breathed a prayer of thanks that her ankle was fully healed. Sarah had just stepped inside her own room and quietly pushed the door shut when she heard Karen's door open.

Sarah could still hear muffled voices, but she didn't try to make out anything. She already felt guilty about eavesdropping in the first place. Instead, she slowly twisted the lock on her door and sat down at her desk to wait for her dinner. Turning her attention to the desk littered with papers, she absently rubbed her fingers over the part of her arm where Arden and grabbed her earlier that evening. His grip had been tight, and it made Sarah very nervous. She decided right then to make sure she was never alone with him, just in case he acted strangely again.

What had he and her sister been talking about? Sarah had no clue, but if it made Karen cry, it couldn't be anything good. Why was Karen so reluctant? Perhaps they were talking about marriage. Did Karen not want to marry Arden anymore? If only Sarah knew.

Stacking papers on top of one another, she rubbed her eyes sleepily. Her day had been a long one, and she wanted to sleep more than anything else. Hopefully the chef would be quick in preparing her meal, because Sarah wasn't sure she would be able to stay awake much longer. Laying her head down on the desk, Sarah allowed herself to drift off into a state of half consciousness.

She was almost asleep when a knock on her door had her head flying up off the desk. "Coming!" she called, stumbling out and around from her seat. With a shake of her head to wake up, she clumsily unlocked the door to find a little servant boy struggling under the weight of a large tray.

"You dinner, m'lady," the boy squeaked. Sarah smiled and quickly took the tray out of his hands.

"Thank you," Sarah beamed, turning to set the tray down, "You must be very strong to carry this all the way here."

The little boy gave Sarah a shy grin. "Maybe just a little," he mumbled, dragging a toe along the floor. He was such an adorable little boy, though Sarah was surprised she had never seen him before. The castle staff wasn't extremely large.

"Have you been working at the castle very long?" Sarah asked, bending down to the boy's level. He couldn't have been more than seven years old. The boy shook his head.

"I've only been here-" he counted on her fingers, and held up six, "Six days."

Sarah smiled and gave him a small hug. The boy seemed slightly shocked, but Sarah pulled back before he could respond. "Well I hope you like it here," she declared, "Will you do something for me?" The boy nodded enthusiastically.

"When you get back to the kitchen, tell Madelin that I said you did a fantastic job and deserve a sweet. If she gives you any trouble, just tell me, all right?"

The little boy's eyes grew huge, and a large smile nearly split his face in two. "Thank you, your highness!" Sarah smiled and stood up from her kneeling position.

"You're welcome," she replied warmly, "Now go on! It must be around your bedtime."

The boy gave a tiny bow, and Sarah expected him to run off, but instead he did something surprising. Stooping low, he took Sarah's hand and gave it a light butterfly kiss.

"I don't care what anyone says about you," he declared shyly, "I wish you would be queen. You're nice, not like the other queen or the princess."

Sarah's jaw dropped at his revelation, but before she could say anything at all, the boy straightened up and scurried out of the room. Blinking, Sarah took a deep breath and turned to the food that had been brought to her. She would ponder the boy's words in the morning, after a full night of sleep.

**xXx**

_Make sure to review!_


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: Sooo I'm slightly put off, after having read the book **Inheritance** by Christopher Paolini. Not because the book was bad, but because he used an idea that I had planned on using for this story! So here's a brief disclaimer. I am in no way taking from Christopher Paolini's work in this story. All plot lines are of my own design and any similarities are unintentional. _

_Please don't think I'm copying off of him, or anyone else! If something inspires me, I give it full credit! :)_

**xXx**

"Absolutely not."

"But you know you'd be the best! Your leadership qualities! Your resourcefulness! Your ability to keep a level head!"

"My answer is still no."

"But-"

"No."

Odysseus and Jareth had been arguing for a long time, over who was to lead the "Elite" through the catacombs and into the Elven city. Odysseus had volunteered Jareth for the task, but the Goblin King had adamantly refused the job. If Jareth was completely honest, it was because he felt unqualified for the job. Surely there was someone else with more experience who could lead the men better than he possibly could. Of course, he would never admit this to anyone. It wouldn't do to have the High Heir demonstrate weakness or insecurity in any way shape, or form.

With a sigh, the Goblin King gracefully sank down on the red sand and cast his gaze out to the horizon. The sun would be rising behind him soon, and after several years of seeing the sun rise, Jareth knew the ocean would gleam blood red for a few moments as the light bounced from the sand to the water. Odysseus plopped down next to his cousin, letting out an "oomph!" as he hit the ground a little too hard.

"I know why you don't want to do it." Odysseus finally spoke up, "And you're wrong."

Jareth 'harumphed' and shrugged. "Oh, I am?" he asked sarcastically, "I told you before. I will not be leading anyone. It is flattering that you think so highly of me as to request me to lead. However, I will be doing no such thing. Stop bringing it up."

Jareth thought that Odysseus would let the matter drop, but he was surprised when his cousin shook his head emphatically. "I am not going to stop," Odysseus replied firmly, "Not until you agree to do this. I have never been more sincere than now, cousin. You are the one the men need to lead them. You inspire them with your willingness to suffer as they do. They would throw down their lives for you, because they know you would do the same. You aren't here for power, glory, money, or women, Jareth. You are here because you have a sense of honor and duty. This is why you must lead. You are the only one whose intentions are pure."

It took a moment for Odysseus's words to process in Jareth's mind. His cousin was rarely this serious, and Jareth knew that he meant everything he had said.

"You believe I can do this?" he asked quietly, voicing his insecurity for the first time. He already knew the answer, but hearing it out loud would make it even more real.

"I do."

Jareth took a deep breath. "Very well then."

Both Fae stood up, brushing the sand from their pants, just as the sun slipped above the horizon behind them, throwing the ocean into such a frenzy of light and color it was almost blinding. To one who had never seen such a sunrise before, it would have been a magnificent sight, worth painting mural after mural and writing epic after epic for. However, to the Fae in the Elven kingdom, it was a common sight, and Jareth and Odysseus left the beach without so much as a second glance.

"A ship is making port this morning," Odysseus commented conversationally, "Supposedly bringing supplies."

Jareth raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Is that really the best you can do for conversation? I have been aware of this ship's arrival for two months now. I know exactly who and what is on that ship and how much cargo it is carrying as well."

Odysseus laughed, and the pair fell into a companionable silence. As they neared the camp, Odysseus stopped and grasped Jareth's shoulder. "What do you say to a little more espionage today?" he asked, with a glint of mischief in his face. Jareth rolled his eyes. His cousin's time for seriousness had run out, and he was back to acting like a child. He sighed in resignation.

"What did you have in mind?"

**xXx**

Meanwhile, in the Elven castle, Sarah was still asleep as the sun rose, filling her room with an orange-golden hue. Her remains of dinner sat stacked haphazardly on her nightstand, and her robe was carelessly discarded on the floor near her bed. A light breeze flowed in through her open window, ruffling the papers still scattered all upon her desk, but the noise did nothing to wake the sleeping princess.

It was only when someone knocked on her door that Sarah's eyes cracked open. "Come in," she called groggily, sitting up and pulling the bedspread up to cover her legs. Somehow, she had kicked her covers almost completely off in her sleep and her nightdress had ridden up her legs. It would be mortifying for anyone other than a chambermaid to see her in such a state. While it was most likely a servant at the door, Sarah didn't want to take any chances.

The door opened, and in walked Karen, looking very much awake and primped. This was odd. Karen rarely woke up with the sun if she could help it.

"Karen?" Sarah asked, voice gravelly with sleep, "What are you doing awake?"

Karen flash Sarah a smile so bright it was almost blinding. "Wake up, sleepy head," she chirped. Yes, she chirped, and the sound went straight into Sarah's skull, making her wince. Karen took no notice of this and continued, "We have a brand new day ahead of us! I thought we could spend it together. We could play a game of backgammon or quoits. Or we could go riding. We haven't ridden in so long! Or we could walk through the city. Perhaps take a peek in the market and-"

"Karen!" Sarah cut her off, "Slow down, please. You're making my head spin."

"Well wake up then," Karen replied brightly, "I'll meet you at the breakfast table in twenty minutes." And with that being said, she twirled on her heel and flitted from the room.

Sarah gaped at the door Karen had just exited through. Her sister wanted to spend the day with her? Wanted to play children's games with her? What on earth had she eaten? Sarah was almost afraid to know what was going on with Karen. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't normal. In fact, it was almost scary.

Shaking her head in confusion, Sarah flung her legs over the side of her bed and slid out of its warmth. She scurried over to snatch up a durable shirt and skirt. Quickly, she yanked off her nightdress and pulled the clothes on, fastening them up rapidly. As an afterthought, Sarah tugged on a pair of leggings, just in case Karen demanded riding to be on the day's agenda. They peeked out from below her skirt, but her shoes would cover them completely.

After running a brush through her hair and tying it back in a braid, Sarah sat down on her bed to pull her boots up to her knees. She stood up and wiggled her feet to get a better fit in them, and as she did so, spared a glance outside.

Normally she didn't see anything exciting out her window, even though it looked over the sea. However, this morning, a ship was approaching. That wouldn't be anything to look twice at, but the flag caught Sarah's eye. It looked evocatively familiar, like something she hadn't seen in a long time. With a gasp, she realized that it was her father's crest!

It took a moment for that fact to register in her head, leaving her frozen in shock. Not once in all of the ten years of the war had anyone come bearing King Robert's colors. Sarah had just assumed her father had disowned Karen, rendering her dead to him. But here was his ship, pulling into the Fae camp. Suddenly, Sarah was struck by a wave of homesickness. Who was on that ship? Surely she would know someone on it.

It didn't take long for Sarah to race down to meet Karen for breakfast. In fact, she was running so fast it almost scared her. Skidding to a stop in front of the doors, she didn't even pause to catch her breath before entering. As she swung the doors open, Karen stood up from her seat to greet her, but stopped mid sentence when she realized Sarah was panting.

"What is it?" she asked with a dramatic gasp, "Sarah, what has you in this state? Has something happened?"

Gripping the back of a chair, Sarah shook her head and then nodded, trying to catch her breath. "There's a ship in the Fae harbor," she finally said, once her heart rate was back under control, "And it's Father's."

Karen stiffened, and her eyes narrowed for half a second. "I don't understand how that bears any significance," she answered in a clipped tone, all traces of her cheery attitude gone, "It's just another ship."

"But it's Father's!" Sarah protested, unsurprised by her sister's rapid change in demeanor, "Doesn't that make you just a little excited?"

"He just wants to take us away," Karen retorted, "He's mostly likely not even on the ship. Besides, we have a life here now. We left the Underground; let it stay gone."

Sarah was about to argue further, but she realized it would be no use. Her sister may not have been incredibly bright, but she was stubborn, and Sarah knew arguing would get them nowhere.

"What brought about your desire to spend the day with me?" Sarah asked instead of pressing the previous matter. Karen's wide smile immediately reappeared, and Sarah nearly drew back a step from its abruptness.

"We don't have nearly enough time together, sister," Karen answered brightly, all traces of her irritation gone, "I decided that we needed to remedy that fact."

All Sarah could do was nod at this revelation. This was not right. Her sister was up to something. _Maybe it has something to do with what she and Arden were arguing about last night,_ she thought, _But does she hate me so much as to not want to spend even a day with me?_

Deciding to play along for the present, Sarah mirrored Karen's smile. "I agree," she replied, "We should do something today, just like we used to."

"Oh! I'm so glad you agree," Karen exclaimed, clapping her hands melodramatically, "What do you say to a game of chess? I'm sure I'll beat you!"

Karen's over-the-top enthusiasm only served to further support Sarah's theory that she was faking. But instead of pointing it out, Sarah smiled sweetly. After thinking for a moment, she grinned again, this time her smile much larger and slightly unnerving. "I'd rather take a stroll through the city," she answered, "The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, and I haven't been out of the castle in so long."

This would serve two purposes. Karen would get off her case about spending time together, and while in the city, Sarah could listen and try to pick up some gossip about her father's ship. Perhaps she would find out who exactly was on it!

For a split second, Karen's smile froze, but she quickly recovered with a giggle. "Do you really want to do that?" she asked lightly, "We could have so much more fun here in the castle."

If that didn't look suspicious, Sarah would have called herself an idiot. Now she was even more determined to get out of the castle for the day. "I do really want to," she declared, her tone leaving little room for argument despite sounding cheerful, "I haven't been in so long. Getting out would be good for us, Karen."

Picking up her fork, Karen sat down and prepared to eat her breakfast. "I suppose we can go," she conceded, "But I do not want to walk. We can take the carriage."

"Horses." Sarah countered, "We can ride. It's so hard to see the city from a carriage window."

An hour and a half later, Sarah found herself seated in her sister's carriage. Karen had put her foot down about riding in it, but Sarah made sure her own horse Tustain was brought along with them. She planned on riding on the way back, and nothing Karen could say would cause her to change her mind.

Karen was leaning out the window, over-enthusiastically cooing and squealing at things she saw. Sarah rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. Could she be any more obvious? Karen _never_ acted this way. How could she think Sarah would fall for her ridiculous behavior?

"Stop the carriage!" Karen called to the driver, "We want to get out here."

Raising a questioning eyebrow, Sarah opened the door without waiting for the footman to assit. "Why are we stopping here?" she asked, hopping out with little grace. Karen's exit was much more refined, and she turned to face Sarah.

"I thought we could visit the market," she answered, "Maybe buy something." She grabbed Sarah's hand and was about to drag her through an alleyway when Sarah pulled back.

"I'm bringing Tustain," she said firmly, walking over to take hold of her horse's bridle, "Just in case we need him." Karen shrugged and continued walking, leading them until they came upon the brightly colored Elvish market. "Hurry up then!" she called, her interest nabbed by a booth selling scarves.

As Karen flitted from stall to stall, Sarah kept her ears alert, listening for any mention of her father's ship that had arrived. Glancing around, she scanned for anyone who looked like they could be seafaring folk. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be talking, and the crowd was the usual elvish throng.

"Sarah!" called Karen from across the cobblestone street, "What do you think of this?" She held up a necklace made from miniature conch shells and smiled brightly.

Turning to face her sister, Sarah gave a weak smile and distractedly nodded. She allowed her gaze to wander around where her sister was standing, but again she found no one who looked as though they could be of any assistance. Tustain nickered and Sarah ran a hand soothingly over his gleaming grey coat.

With a sigh, she turned her attention back in her sister's direction, but something above Karen caught her eye. Perched on the spire of a bakery sat a white owl. A white owl that Sarah was very familiar with.

In shock, Sarah averted her eyes, hoping the Goblin King didn't notice her noticing him. His attention appeared to be elsewhere, but she couldn't be certain. _What is he doing here?_ she thought frantically, _Is he spying on me?_

Curiosity forced her to look back at him again, and this time she wished she hadn't. As soon as her eyes lighted on him, he turned his head, and their gazes locked.


	10. Chapter 9

_A/N: More Jareth and Sarah interaction for you lovely readers! Enjoy!_

**xXx**

For the second time in two days, Jareth found himself in his owl form, flying over the Elf City. Odysseus had convinced his cousin to fly through the city again to observe elvish lifestyle. He mentioned something about 'knowing thine enemy', but Jareth hadn't really been listening to what Odysseus was saying. Jareth had realized that there was no arguing with his cousin once his mind was made up, and he decided that a little more spying wouldn't be detrimental to any battle plans.

Before he left, Jareth had greeted the ship from King Robert's kingdom and aided in unloading the weapons and provisions it brought. He had also taken the time to meet and brief the newly promoted general who had arrived on the ship. He was a favorite of King Robert's, but Jareth was pleased to find him to be a hard-working young man who was eager to serve.

Now the Goblin King was carrying out his own mission, though he felt as though Odysseus was using it as an excuse to get out of the camps. So far, his espionage had been uneventful. No cats, dishwater, or irritating little boys had attacked him. However, Jareth had not been flying around the Elven city for very long when he thought he heard a familiar voice.

"I'm bringing Tustain."

Surely it couldn't be her!

Swooping down and landing atop the spire of a building, Jareth looked down upon the market below him. Sure enough, the mortal princess Sarah was weaving her way through market place, following someone. The stranger turned, and Jareth could tell right away she was the princess Karen. He had never seen the girl before, but her beauty was so incredible that it was hard to mistake her.

However, as Karen danced from stall to stall, Jareth mentally rolled his eyes. Why would anyone, especially a king, want to pursue someone so air-headed? A king needed a wife who was level-headed and wise, someone who could rule as queen. This silly princess was anything but such. Beauty was nothing if it wasn't accompanied by something more substantial, such as intelligence or cunning. At least, that was Jareth's opinion.

Turning his attention back to Sarah, he watched as she visibly scanned the crowd, as though looking for something or someone. What was she looking for? Her sister called her name again, and she turned to answer. Just then, something buzzed by Jareth's ear, and he turned his head to see what it was. A fly had decided Jareth would be amusing to pester, but with a swift snap of his beak, the nuisance was eliminated. As he turned his head back to the scene below him, Sarah looked up, and their gazes locked.

**xXx**

Suddenly, Sarah wanted desperately to talk with the Goblin King. He would probably know who was on the ship, and would be able to satisfy her need to know as well. King Jareth had already promised to protect her, so Sarah knew she needn't fear speaking to him. As she was thinking about this, his and her eyes were still locked, though his head was cocked to the side; from amusement or curiosity Sarah could not determine.

"Sarah! Sarah!" Karen's voice caused Sarah to tear her eyes away from the king, and she turned to see her sister approaching her. "Goodness! It's like you fell asleep with your eyes wide open!" she exclaimed, "Wake up, silly. I bought the most beautiful skirt that I simply must try on. I know we haven't spent much time here, but do you mind if we go back to the castle?"

Absently, Sarah shook her head. "You go on," she replied, "I'll ride behind you."

"Stay right behind me!" Karen ordered playfully, "I don't want you to get lost!"

Her voice seemed light, but Sarah had a feeling Karen didn't want to let her out of her sight. Was _that_ what she and Arden were arguing about the previous night? Sarah did _not_ need a babysitter. Playing along for now, Sarah nodded. "Of course!" she replied, her tone just as bright as Karen's, "It would be quite terrible if I got lost."

Karen nodded, and Sarah thought she could see her relax slightly. Odd, but not unexpected, given her behavior that day. Leading Tustain off to the side of the street, Sarah unceremoniously pulled herself astride him. Her skirt rode up past her thighs, and she was grateful she had opted to wear leggings underneath.

"Sarah!" Karen admonished in a loud whisper, "Why couldn't you have ridden sidesaddle? You are nearly indecent!"

"But I'm not indecent," Sarah countered with a smirk, guiding Tustain towards the alleyway they came from, "Only nearly. Now are we leaving or not?"

With a sound of exasperation, Karen followed her sister back to the carriage where she climbed in. Leaning out the window, she called to Sarah "Stay right behind me!"

As the coachman cracked his whip, the carriage took off and Karen leaned back in her seat. Sarah watched her sister depart for a moment before muttering mischievously, "See you at supper, dear sister." With a laugh, she turned back around and hurried to the marketplace, hoping she could catch the Goblin King's eye if he was still there.

But how could she talk to him safely? He couldn't turn back into his Fae form in the city; his features would give him away in a heartbeat and he would surely be caught within minutes. And there was no way Sarah could leave the city without attracting attention.

He was still perched on the bakery's spire, but his attentions were on the crowd below him. Not wanting to look conspicuous, Sarah settled on staring the owl down, hoping he would turn and meet her gaze. Her concentration did not go unrewarded, and soon the Goblin King turned his head and looked her in the eyes.

Intense was the only word she could describe his stare as. It felt like he was trying to bore a hole between her eyes. As strong as his gaze was, however, Sarah refused to tear her eyes away from his. Instead, she dismounted Tustain, still staring the Goblin King down.

_This is stupid_, she thought, gripping Tustain's reins tightly in her hand. _So very very stupid! Why am I doing this? Talking to him is impossible! Someone will get caught, and then hurt. This is not going to end well at all._

Sarah was at a complete loss for what to do. Now that she had his attention, she should at least do something. But what? With a sigh, she finally lowered her eyes away from the king's. Staring him down was getting her nowhere. Tustain clopping behind her, Sarah walked down the market for the second time that day. However, she was paying little attention to the wares being sold there.

Voices shouted out, calling for attention to specific products, but Sarah allowed them to fade into the background. She had to come up with a plan. _"_I wish I could just talk to him," she breathed, voice barely audible, "Simply and safely." With a sigh, she kicked a pebble on the cobblestone road.

As she passed the opening for an alleyway, Sarah had just enough time to look up and notice that the owl had left, before she was pulled into the shade of the alley. A figure with a long, hooked nose, an eyepatch, and a large floppy hat clapped a gloved hand over her mouth before she had the chance to scream for help.

Kicking her legs and flailing her arms, Sarah struggled to get free from the stranger, but his grip was strong. Furiously, Sarah opened her mouth against her attacker's hand, and gnashed her teeth against it.

With a muffled grunt of pain, her would-be captor pulled his hand from her mouth, but at the same time muttered something in Fae. Suddenly, Sarah was unable to make any noise, and she realized that the stranger had cast a spell on her. Even more incensed, Sarah struggled harder, trying to get free.

"It's me!" the stranger hissed, in a frighteningly familiar voice. He turned Sarah around to face him, pulled his nose down his face and lifted the eyepatch to reveal miss-matched eyes. Sarah's jaw dropped, and she stopped struggling in shock.

"Your highness?" Sarah mouthed incredulously, still unable to make a sound.

"You must keep quiet!" Jareth whispered pressing a finger to his lips as he released her from his hold, "Do you want me to be found out?"

Sarah shook her head, eyes wide in a mix of shock, fear, and -if she was completely honest with herself- excitement. The Goblin King released the spell that kept her silent and grasped his false nose to slide it up covering his nose, asking "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, with even more reason!" Sarah retorted in a whisper, "Why are you back in the city? You are going to get yourself killed!"

"I had planned on staying in my avian form," Jareth snapped, "But _something_ happened. You must have done it!"

With another shake of her head, Sarah opened and then shut her mouth. "What could I have possibly done?" she demanded, temper rising as she tried to keep her voice low, "There is no way I could have done anything!"

"Then why am I here?" the Goblin King demanded in turn, "I was perched on that building, you turned away, and then I found myself in this ridiculous disguise, hiding in an alleyway. _None of which was of my own doing_!"

Taking a step back, Sarah's back hit the brick wall of the alley. "I couldn't have made any of that happen. You know that, your highness," she answered, trying to sort the situation out, "Maybe you lost control of your magic, or blacked out."

Jareth's expression darkened. "I may be young," he ground out, "But I am not so young as to be completely unable to control magical impulses."

Seeing his dangerous look, Sarah quickly raised both hands in concession. "Fine," she said quickly, still struggling to keep her voice down "I believe you. But you can't blame me for something I had absolutely nothing to do with!"

"There must be an explanation that leads back to you," Jareth pressed agitatedly, leaning closer into Sarah's personal space, "These things don't just happen, Sarah."

An odd, but not unpleasant shiver ran down Sarah's back as the Goblin King whispered her name, but she quickly shrugged the feeling off. "I am certain they don't, _Jareth_," she snapped back, her irritation shown by her putting emphasis on his name, "But you forget that I am only a mortal. I don't have the capability to do anything of that sort."

The Goblin King opened his mouth to retort, but looked to have thought better of it, and shut his mouth once again. Finally, he whispered in a much more calm voice, "That may be true, but then again, it might not be." Sarah raised a quizzical eyebrow, and he shrugged. "Just because you are mortal doesn't mean you don't have special capabilities." he supplied.

"Special capabilities?" Sarah scoffed, "That's ridiculous."

"Perhaps," Jareth answered quietly, "But it isn't entirely inconceivable either." He tugged at his false nose uncomfortably and continued, "You cannot take anything for granted, you know."

With a roll of her eyes, Sarah dismissed his remark. "Trust me," she assured the Goblin King in a low tone, "There is nothing special about me. Whatever happened was caused entirely by you."

"But it wasn't!" was Jareth's strong, albeit quiet, protest, "Something changed. Did you say anything different at all? Feel anything strange? Why am I here, talking to you?"

Memories of the last few minutes whizzed through her brain, and suddenly, Sarah paled. With a gasp, she clapped both hands over her mouth. "It... it can't be," she whispered, hands sliding down to clasp right below her chin, "It's not possible."

Senses high on alert, Jareth took both of Sarah's shoulders and grasped them tightly. "What did you do?"

Sarah looked to the side, turning away from the Goblin King's gaze and shook her head in disbelief. "That can't be it," she protested weakly, seemingly ignoring his question, "Things don't work like that. They don't."

"What did you do?" Jareth demanded in a harsher tone, giving her shoulders a small shake, "Princess, what did you do?"

"I... I made a wish," Sarah whispered, turning back to look Jareth in the eyes, "I wished I could talk to you in safety."

In shock, Jareth let go of her, and stepped back until he was against the opposite brick wall. "Are you certain?" he asked hesitantly, "You made a wish?"

"I didn't mean it!" Sarah pleaded, more to herself than him, "I just wanted to talk to you. I didn't think anything would actually happen!"

"This is not good," Jareth muttered, so quietly Sarah almost didn't hear him, "This is not good at all."

"What isn't good?" Sarah asked, growing even more concerned, "Why is it bad?"

Raising his hand, the Goblin King pointed a finger at Sarah. "You shouldn't be able to make wishes at all here in the Aboveground, let alone ones of this magnitude."

"I don't understand," Sarah replied in confusion,"What do you mean, 'make wishes'?"

With a sigh, Jareth asked, "How much do you know about the Goblin King's duties, Princess?"

"Only that whoever holds the title is also High Heir," Sarah answered, "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"We need to find a safer place to discuss this," Jareth whispered quickly, glancing around, "I believe your sister has discovered your absence; I hear soldiers approaching."

Looking round as well, Sarah's eyes widened as she heard the unmistakeable footfalls of Elvish soldiers. "I don't know where to go!" she whispered back, "I don't know where we'd be safe!"

A shadow passed into the alley and both Jareth and Sarah's heads whipped to the opening, watching silently as a guard walked by. "This is the princess's horse!" he called, grabbing Tustain's reins, "She must be around here somewhere."

"Check that alley!" another called in response.

Simultaneously, Jareth and Sarah turned back to face each other. "We have to get out of here," Sarah breathed, her expression bordering panicked, "Now. But I don't know how!"

With a final glance towards the alley's opening, Jareth reached out and tugged Sarah till their bodies were pressed tightly against each other. "Not a sound." he breathed into her ear, his false nose bumping awkwardly against her head, "And you'd best close your eyes."

**xXx**

_Make sure to review!_


	11. Chapter 10

_A/N: Hey everybody. Sorry about the wait. Life's been busy, blah blah blah. Anyway, here's the next installment of **Batalla Dos Corazons**. I wrestled with myself for a very long time in attempt to get this chapter to flow right and to convey exactly what I want it to. So please, be kind and try to enjoy the chapter. :)_

**xXx**

It was a huge risk, transporting another being with himself. He had never attempted such a feat before, and he had no idea what the outcome would be. Unfortunately, that wasn't the worst of it. In the instant he transported Sarah and himself, Jareth lost focus, and could not transport them slightly outside the city, as was his original hasty thought. He ended up losing his grasp on the destination, and as their surroundings dematerialized and began to fade into something else, he let out a curse.

Instead of the bright midday sun shining down on them, he and Sarah were met with damp, stuffy darkness. As soon as their surroundings fully materialized, Jareth felt his strength give out, and he fell to his knees, taking Sarah down with him. They hit a hard stoned floor with a thump, and Sarah quickly began to struggle to push his body off hers.

"What did you do?" she demanded angrily, squirming out from under him. She started to stand up, but Jareth grasped the edge of her skirt.

"Don't stand up yet," he panted, exhausted from the strain of transporting them both. Sarah ignored him, and yanked her dress from his hand as she rose to her feet...

...And promptly toppled over, landing in a heap next to the Goblin King.

"Should have listened," Jareth grunted, rolling onto his back and pulling his false nose and hat off with one hand. Sarah moaned from her spot on the floor as she turned over, supporting herself on her forearms. Suddenly, she let out a strangled cough, and vomited. With a sound that almost sounded like a whine, she rolled away from her mess.

"Gods! It smells awful in here!" Sarah rasped as soon as she caught her breath. It truly did smell terrible in there, wherever there was. It smelled like old sewage and something sharp, sour, and thick, and it made Sarah close to gagging.

"Trust me," Jareth muttered, massaging his temples, "As bad as this is, I've smelled worse."

"I don't know how that is even possible," Sarah retorted, "Where are we, and why do I feel so sick?""

"You're experiencing the side affects of a phenomenon known to mortals as Fae transportation," Jareth supplied, pushing himself up onto his elbows. He was still mentally, physically, and magically drained from moving them both without warning, but he had regained full use of his voice. "You aren't used to it, and that is why your body reacted the way it did. Vomiting, dizziness, temporary loss of sight and or motor skills are all normal for a mortal to experience after going through it.

"You mean I'm blind?" Sarah all but screeched as his words sunk in, "It isn't really pitch black here? What have you done to me? Where are we?"

Jareth's hand clamped down on her arm like a vise. "Princess, I am going to say this once, and once only. Keep. Quiet." he warned, "As of this moment, I have no idea where we are. I am just as blind as you, because as you first speculated, it is nearly black as midnight in here. We seem to be in some sort of cave, but until we can guarantee our security, I suggest you lower your voice."

"Well you owe me a very thorough explanation, your _highness_," Sarah hissed, pulling her arm away as she clawed at his hand. Pushing herself backwards away from the king with her hands, Sarah scooted till her back hit the wall of the cave. The bumps of the wall's strange pattern dug into her skin through her shirt, and Sarah turned slightly to feel the grooves with her fingers. She had never felt anything like it before, and she was curious as to what made it feel the way it did.

"Do you know if we are in the Aboveground still?" she whispered, still angry at Jareth for transporting them without warning. She let her hand slide up the wall, feeling the continuous round bumps and diamond-like holes.

"We are still in the Elf kingdom," Jareth responded, "I doubt my magic would allow me to transport the two of us five miles away, let alone between realms without warning. Most likely, we are not far from that alleyway."

"Can't you transport us back?" Sarah asked, slightly distracted in her examination of the cave's strange design, "Or at least to somewhere where we know where we are?"

The Goblin King pushed himself slowly to a cross-legged sitting position. "Not yet," he answered, "Transporting the both of us sapped a lot of my magical energy. It may take up to an hour before I can accomplish such a feat again."

Sarah's hands stopped their exploration. "An hour?" she demanded, "I can't be missing for an hour! My sister is already acting strange. If I'm gone for much longer, she's bound to go completely mad!"

"There is nothing I can do about it!" Jareth retorted, "In a few moments, I will be able to produce a light, and perhaps we will see a way out. In the meantime, try to keep your hysteria under control."

"I am not hysterical!" Sarah snapped, "I am displaying perfectly rational emotions in response to being taken against my will and without my knowledge to some cave that is completely uncharted as far as we know!" She let out a small huff of frustration, and tucked her legs into a cross-legged position.

"Well we might as well make the best of this time," she finally said at length, once her anger had cooled to a simmer, "What were you going to tell me about the Goblin King's duties?"

Jareth smirked at her practicality before becoming serious. "Part of the Goblin King's job is to take unwanted children into the Labyrinth. It's a rite of passage of sorts for all High Heirs," he explained, "These children are the ones that have been wished away by parents, siblings, or other guardians. The-"

"The children are taken away from their families because of a wish?" Sarah interrupted incredulously, "That's hardly fair!"

"I'm not finished yet!" Jareth retorted, "Now, as I was saying, the wishers have a chance to prove themselves by running the Labyrinth. They start at the outside wall and finish at my castle at the center. If they can finish the task in thirteen hours, they have proven themselves to be worthy of taking the child back with them. The ones who fail only do so because they truly don't want the child."

"So what do you do with the children that end up staying?" Sarah asked, concerned for their well-being, "You don't... turn them into goblins do you?"

At this, Jareth gave a hearty laugh. "Absolutely not!" he answered, "That's completely preposterous! I find them good homes with Fae, Elvish, or Mortal families. Before the war, that is. I haven't been able to run my kingdom properly in ten years."

"Well then, what happens to the children who get wished away now?" Sarah inquired, curious to find out if the Goblin King had a back-up plan.

"Nothing," Jareth replied, "I don't respond to wishing summons anymore. I hardly feel them now, though that is probably attributed to the fact that I haven't been in my Labyrinth in years. That is why it is so strange and unsettling that you wished for something, and it came true."

"You granted my wish?" This was strange. Sarah wasn't sure what do think of this turn of events.

"That's just the thing." Jareth said, voice rising, "I don't grant wishes! I only respond when children are wished away. "

"So you didn't grant my wish?"

"But I think I did!" The Goblin King was growing more and more excited, "Which makes absolutely no sense at all. How could I have done that, especially in the Aboveground? I only respond to Underground summons."

Now Sarah was growing confused. "I don't understand," she mumbled, "How can something happen if it is virtually impossible?"

Jareth ran a hand through his wild hair. "I haven't the slightest idea," he replied, "Perhaps there is magic in you that reacted to mine."

"There's nothing magical about me," Sarah quickly denied, "I already told you."

"But your sister-"

"The oracle that blessed her died before I was born," she cut off, "Before I was conceived even. I didn't get anything from her. Can you make a light yet?"

He blinked at her abrupt turnabout in the conversation, and Jareth could hear her rising to her feet. "I wonder if I can feel a way out..." she muttered. Meanwhile, Jareth's mind was going over at her angry words from earlier. They sparked something that sounded strangely familiar.

_I am displaying perfectly rational emotions in response to being taken against my will and without my knowledge to some cave that is completely uncharted as far as we know._

_Uncharted as far as we know..._

"There's a ledge here," Sarah declared, her hands having felt a gap in the wall, right at her shoulder level "Or a cutout or something. Maybe a passage." She grunted as she reached into it, trying to feel how deep it was. Her hands were met with a coarse cloth, and giving it a tug, she realized something was holding it back. "There's something in here." she informed Jareth, as she discovered the cloth was wrapped around something in a bundle, "Something large."

Abruptly, the wheels clicked into place in Jareth's mind. Drawing on his power, he twisted his hand producing a small crystal. He focused on the feel of it, and channeled his magic into it, producing a small glow. With a large exhale, he sent more energy to the crystal until it shone brightly, the light bouncing off the walls of the cave.

His eyes not used to the brightness, it took a moment for Jareth to focus. As the cave became clearer, he realized they were in some sort of room, with strange stones fastened to the wall. However, as his vision became fully accustomed to the light, he realized they weren't stones at all, but were in fact... bone. Skulls, to be exact.

Suddenly, Sarah let out a shriek. "It's a body!" she screamed, stumbling away from the cutout, which was in fact a shelf. She hit the wall Jareth had been studying and clutched her throat in terror. "Oh gods, it's a body," she gasped, her chest heaving in panic.

Indeed there was a body resting on the shelf. It was wrapped tightly in purple strips of cloth that at one point must have been bright and rich. Now they were faded, indicating that the body must have been very old. Every part of the body was swathed in the bandages except for the face, which had shriveled up like old parchment and was contorted into a grisly grimace.

"Princess, come here," Jareth commanded, forcing himself stand up as he held out a hand. If she realized she was leaning up against a wall of skulls, he wasn't sure she would stay conscious, let alone lucid. She hadn't seemed to have heard him the first time, so Jareth slowly began to approach her, keeping his movements slow.

"Sarah, take my hand," he coaxed, his tone soft, "Come here."

Sarah still wasn't responding. "It's a body," she whispered in horror, "I touched a body." Her hand fell from her throat and hit the skull wall, causing Jareth to flinch. She was still for a moment before she realized what she was touching. Then with a cry, she flung herself away from the wall and catapulted into the Goblin King's body.

Jareth stumbled back with a grunt. He hadn't expected the girl to launch herself at him. Her fingers were digging into his shirt and Jareth's arms encircled her body reflexively, but still kept a tight grip on the crystal light in his hand. In response, she gripped him harder and Jareth could feel her trembling. Was she _crying_?

"Shh," he soothed uneasily, unsure of what to do or say, "They're dead and cannot harm you." Hoping it would ease her fears, Jareth slowly rubbed small circles on her back with his free hand. "I'll keep you safe," he whispered into her hair, trying to calm her, "Just relax and breathe."

Pulling away, Sarah looked him in the face, and he saw that she was not crying, but in fact, laughing. "I'm sorry," she panted, "I don't know why I'm laughing... I think... I think I'm actually scared silly!" She buried her face into his chest again to muffle her giggles.

"By the gods, you truly are hysterical!" Jareth declared in shock, "Most women would be crying, scared out of their wits!"

Sarah lifted her head. "But I am scared," she protested between giggles, "That body is absolutely terrifying. And I _touched_ it." Suddenly, her giggles morphed into tears, and she leaned into the Goblin King once more. Jareth's shirt became slightly damp as Sarah continued to cry. _I was right about her not remaining lucid, _he thought sardonically.

"Where are we?" Sarah sobbed, her voice muffled in his chest, "Have you any idea now?"

Jareth sighed and gave her a comforting squeeze. "I think we're in the catacombs below the city."

**xXx**

Meanwhile, back in the castle, Karen was pacing the floor of her chambers. Occasionally, she would spare a glance out her window, but for the most part, she was focused on the floor.

"I should have known," she muttered, clasping her hands behind her back, "I should have known I couldn't trust her."

"You most certainly should have." Arden spoke from her doorway. Karen jumped and let out a squeak.

"Have you been standing there for long?" she asked, halting her pacing.

"No." Arden replied briskly, striding into the room. He stopped at her window and pressed his hands upon the sill. "I asked you to do one thing for me, Karen," he said at length, "One thing, and you couldn't come through with it."

Karen looked down at her feet in shame. "I... I'm sorry, Arden," she apologized, laying a hand on his shoulder, "I shouldn't have let her out of my sight."

"I went to war for you," Arden continued, ignoring Karen's apology and shrugging her hand off, "My country has been fighting for you for ten years. And just when we are given the opportunity to end it, you go and destroy that hope!" His voice rose and his hands gripped the window sill in anger. "Did I ask too much, my love?" he demanded, voice thick with malice and sarcasm, "Was it too heavy a load to bear?"

"You're scaring me," Karen whispered, "Arden, stop."

Arden whirled around, his face furious. "Stop what, Karen?" he asked, "Stop battling over your hand? Stop trying to end this bloody war? My brother has the lowest opinion of me, and my father's isn't much higher. I need to take action before something worse happens."

"Whatever you have planned will still work," Karen assured weakly, trying to avoid angering him further, "She'll come back, and when she does, you can continue with ending the war."

"Your slip up has cost us," Arden hissed, "You have set my plans back an entire three weeks. Three weeks, Karen!" He pushed himself away from the window and stalked back to the doorway. "If that damned sister of yours isn't found by sundown, we are going to assume she has been taken by the Fae. And if that happens, it means everything I have planned with be ruined. If that is the case, you and I will have to come up with something else. It will _not_ be a pleasant experience. For either of us." With that, he strode from the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Karen flinched at his heated exit and slumped down to sit on the floor against the wall. "Oh Sarah, where have you gone?" she muttered, "Why today of all days to be stubborn?"

Her face crumpled, and for a moment it looked like she was about to cry. However, as soon as the tears gathered in her eyes, Karen shook her head. "Everything is going to be fine," she resolutely declared out loud. Rising to her feet, she brushed her skirt off and straightened her shoulders. "Things will turn out," Karen whispered, turning to stare out the window, "Just like she said. Things will turn out."

_There is a web address for a picture of what the catacombs look like on my profile._

_Please make sure to review!_


	12. Chapter 11

_A/N: Whew! My chapters are getting longer and longer, which I hope makes you lovely readers happy. I'm very glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you like this new one just as much. I know I had a ton of fun writing it! :)_

**xXx**

Sarah pulled away slightly to look at Jareth in the eyes. "The catacombs?" she asked with poorly concealed sniff, "That explains the smell. But, I thought they were only a legend."

"Obviously not," Jareth said with a smirk, "In fact, I'm fairly certain we're standing directly below the alleyway we were just in." He felt Sarah trying to pull away from him, and he loosened his grip so she could do so. Suddenly, his arms felt very empty and cold.

"I... I'm sorry," Sarah apologized, making a vague gesture with her hands, "I didn't mean to lose my composure like that." She breathed as deeply as she dared with the stench and wiped at her eyes with one sleeve. "I guess it was out of shock," she rationalized, "I've never seen a dead body before."

Jareth tossed the crystal up into the air, and it stayed suspended right above his head. "I have," he replied grimly, visions of past battles flashing through his mind, "It isn't something I like to dwell upon."

Sarah suddenly felt silly. Of course he would have seen dead people before- hundreds even. Possibly even watched his own friends be killed. How ridiculous she must have looked, shrieking and crying like a lunatic over a body that had likely died of natural causes! "Does it ever wear off?" she inquired, tentatively, "The shock, I mean."

Absently adjusting his gloves, Jareth shrugged. "You learn to turn off emotions," he said, "You have to, in order to do what is required. Shock cannot factor into anything." He looked so resigned as he said it, that Sarah couldn't help but wonder.

As she cocked her head to the side in thought, she asked abruptly, "Why are you here?"

Jareth blinked. "As you already very well know, I transported us-" he began, but Sarah shook her head.

"No, no, no," she interrupted, "Why are you here in the Aboveground? This war has nothing to do with you. You don't benefit from it at all. Why aren't you back in your kingdom, in the Labyrinth? Don't you want to run it properly?"

"I believe you have asked enough questions of me and my duties," Jareth answered in a clipped tone, "Come, let us find a way out of here. You can tell me what it was that made you wish to speak to me as we walk." He twisted his wrist and Sarah's eyes widened as another crystal rolled into his palm. "Here," he said, handing it to her as it began to glow, "And please, try not to drop it. I don't fancy having to make a new one."

Feeling the weight of the crystal in her hand, Sarah was at a loss for words. Why did he dismiss her like that? Was the war that much of a sore spot for him?

The Goblin King turned and glanced around the room. Each of the four walls was lined with some sort of bone. One wall held skulls, the others were a mix of skulls and what looked like femurs and radii, which were most likely what Sarah had been exploring with her fingers earlier. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any doors or openings of any kind.

"Interesting," he muttered, before speaking loud enough for Sarah to hear, "Do you see anything that looks like a concealed opening, Princess? There has to be at least one somewhere, otherwise this air would most likely be toxic."

Sarah glanced around once, giving the room a brief sweep with her eyes. "I don't see any," she replied, clutching the crystal Jareth gave her tightly in her hand, "What if there's just a small crack for circulation and not a full opening?"

"Doubtful." Jareth replied shortly, "These catacombs are heavily warded with magic, and I hardly think they would be as such unless there was a legitimate way to get in."

With a frown, Sarah turned around in a circle, scanning the room. "So you think there's a disguised door?" she asked.

"Obviously."

Rolling her eyes at the Goblin King's sarcasm, Sarah ran her hand along a wall with a shudder. _Don't think about it. Just don't think about it,_ she chanted in her head, _Just try and feel for an opening._

Suddenly, Jareth snapped his fingers. "Of course!" he exclaimed, striding over to the ledge that held the body Sarah had groped earlier. Peering into the cutout, he squinted into the darkness. "The opening is through here!" he declared triumphantly.

"Over the body?" Sarah asked tensely, walking to stand at Jareth's side and looking into the cutout as well. Indeed, there was a passage, and a large one at that. It looked to lead into another room, or possibly a tunnel.

"Do you wish to go first, or shall I?" Jareth asked, placing both hands on the ledge, "I can either lift you or pull you up."

"Well I'd rather do neither." Sarah said under her breath, eying the body she would inevitably have to climb over. Jareth caught her words and her look, and frowned. After a moment of thought, he let out a sigh and looked at Sarah.

"Move to the side." he said, or rather demanded. Sarah was puzzled, but did as he asked. Once she realized what the Goblin King was doing, she was grateful she had.

Jareth had taken hold of the tightly wrapped body and was tugging it out of the cutout. After several small tugs, he realized that he would need a little more strength. With a grunt, he gave a long, strong pull, and the body tumbled down with a loud thump. Now they wouldn't have to climb over it.

"There." he panted, his strength sapped since he still hadn't fully recovered from the transportation, "Is that better?" Sarah was speechless and could only stare wide-eyed at the purple bundle on the ground.

"You... you moved it," she breathed, finding her voice, "You moved a dead body."

Jareth shrugged. "What of it?" he asked, absently rubbing his biceps, "You don't believe in Elvish customs and religion, do you?"

Clutching her crystal tighter, Sarah blinked. "No," she replied at length, "But it still seems like desecration."

"It's dead."

"But still-"

"Enough," Jareth interrupted, growing irritated, "I did you a bloody favor by clearing the path. Be grateful. Now, would you like to go first?"

Sarah quickly shook her head. "Absolutely not," she answered, peering into the darkness of the passage they would have to go through. Jareth smirked, but understood her trepidation. "Very well then." he declared, and without further ado, pulled himself up onto the shelf. The light he had tossed earlier drifted in after him, stopping to float a few inches away from his face. He turned around on his knees, and his wild hair nearly brushed the cutout's ceiling. His torso was level with Sarah's face, so he bent slightly to make better eye contact. "Your turn, Princess." he said, holding out his hands.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah set her crystal on the ledge next to Jareth's knees and placed both hands on the bottom of the cutout, while Jareth slipped his hands under her arms, gripping the back of her waist firmly. "On three?" Sarah asked, preparing to jump and push.

"One," Jareth counted, leaning back in preparation to pull, "Two... Three!" Sarah kicked off the ground and pushed herself up with her arms, while Jareth pulled her the rest of the way into the cutout. The pair tumbled against the side of the opening and landed in a tangled heap of limbs.

"Ow," Sarah groaned, pulling herself off of Jareth's chest. She leaned against the opposite side of the cutout and held her forehead with both hands. "I wasn't ready to do that," she mumbled, "My head hurts like... ugh."

Pushing himself to mimic Sarah's position, Jareth rested his head against the wall. "Apparently, neither was I," he replied with a ghost of a wry grin, "Perhaps that wasn't the best of ideas. But no matter. We are up, and that is all that is important now." After a moment of recovery, he moved to a crawling position and crawled only a few feet before coming to the end of the opening. Looking back, he called over his shoulder, "I believe this passage here is the way out."

Sarah put aside her discomfort and crawled behind the Goblin King, stopping at his side. The small opening they had been sitting in led to a dark corridor, lit only by the light of Jareth's floating ball.

"My crystal!" Sarah exclaimed, suddenly remembering that she had left it. Turning around, she hurried back to where she had left it on the edge of the cutout. She did her best not to look at the body Jareth had dropped on the ground, and instead snatched up the crystal. Crawling as fast as she could back to Jareth, Sarah clutched the orb tightly against her chest. "You said not to lose it..." she mumbled, seeing Jareth's quizzical look.

He said nothing in response, but instead swung his feet over the end of the ledge and slid down to the floor of the passage. As soon as he was securely on his feet, he turned and wordlessly held out both arms to help Sarah down. Gratefully, she braced herself against his shoulders as she too slid into the passage, and she mentally thanked herself for wearing leggings under her dress that day. Her skirt had bunched up under Jareth's hands on her waist, and as soon as she touched the ground, she let go and tugged the material out from under the Goblin King's grip.

"Which do you think is the way out?" she asked, staring down the passage, then turning around and peering the other direction. It was too dark to see very far, and neither direction seemed more promising than the other.

"I am not certain," Jareth replied, following her gaze, "But this direction looks more promising." He pointed to the left, and Sarah frowned.

"Why that way?"

"I just said that it looks promising."

"Because?"

"Because it does!" Jareth snipped, "Now do you want to get out of here or not?"

Sarah frowned. "Of course I want to get out!" she retorted, barely keeping herself from stomping her foot, "But I... you... -we can't just make decisions without thinking about them." She huffed at her inability to form words and placed a hand on her hip.

With a roll of his eyes, Jareth crossed his arms. "In case you forgot, Princess, I am the Goblin King. My castle is at the center of a _labyrinth_. Out of the two of us, I am certain I have significantly better intuition to discern which path is the most likely one to lead us out."

Sarah bit her lip and contemplated his words. "Fine then." she conceded bitterly after a moment of thought, "We'll go your way. But I swear, Goblin King or not, if you lead me into another room like that one, I will not be held responsible for my actions."

Jareth let out a chuckle. "Do as you wish," he replied with a mock-bow towards her. Then, turning on his heel, he headed down the corridor, calling over his shoulder, "Come now. The faster we walk, the sooner we shall be out of this muddle."

**xXx**

Meanwhile, back in the Elven castle, Arden was sitting his personal study, furiously writing something on a scroll of parchment. Ink flew in splatters across his desk as he continuously jammed his quill into the ink jar, but the prince paid the mess no heed. After leaving Karen, he had retreated to his study in order to put his backup plan into writing.

When he heard the word that Karen's foolish little sister had decided to run off, Arden realized that this idea was far from flawless. He obviously couldn't rely on Karen to be of much aid in his master plan, therefore he needed a contingency plan, in case events took a turn for the worse. The wheels in his head were turning like mad, and his writing could hardly keep up with his thoughts as he continued to record his ideas.

Finally, he sat back in his chair with a sigh, eyeing his words with pleasure. "Wait until Father sees this!" he muttered to himself, setting his quill down with a care that belied his hurried actions just moments before, "He won't doubt me after he sees my plan in action."

It had been years since King Priam had listened to Arden's opinion in battle. The king did not find his son's plans and ideas to be practical, which infuriated Arden to no end. When the war had started, the prince had come up with what he thought to be the most ingenious yet painfully obvious battle plan ever.

_Eight years earlier..._

_"Father, Father, just listen to me," Arden pleaded, leaning across the table where King Priam stood. On the table was a large map of the Elven kingdom, marking where the Fae were encamped. The king was in the library-converted-battle room, plotting out his next move, but Arden was certain his idea would be better._

_"Not now, Arden," Priam replied absently, waving an arm in his son's direction. His advisor Galen placed another miniature tent on the map, right along the coast, and Priam grunted in displeasure._

_"Do we have an estimate as to how many soldiers there are?" he asked, placing both hands on the table and leaning over it intently. Galen shook his head and brushed his hands together._

_"Unfortunately no, sire," the advisor replied, clasping his hands behind his back, "I have just received word that High King Lysander has aligned himself with King Menelaus and has been sending more troops. We have not been able to get a grasp as to how many he may have sent, nor can we predict how many more soldiers he may send." His words sent a wave of agitation through the king._

_"Damn it all to the fiery depths!" King Priam cursed, slamming a fist into the table, causing the miniatures to rattle, "Now we are up against the High King's troops as well? How can it be possible for us to face the enemy now?"_

_Arden tentatively cleared his throat. "I may have an idea, Father," he spoke up after a moment, "If you would just listen to me, I could tell you of it." He mimicked his father's position leaning over the table and let out a deep breath. "Please." he pleaded._

_Pinching the bridge of his nose, King Priam closed his eyes. "Very well, Arden," he conceded with a weary sigh, "But be quick about it." Under his breath he muttered, "This had **better** be good."_

_With a small bow of thanks, Arden stood up straight. "You may not have thought of this before, as you have been so very preoccupied with all that is happening," he began, "And of course, that is completely understanda-"_

_"Get to the point," King Priam interrupted with a growl, "I haven't got the entire day to listen to you ramble."_

_Arden's mouth sat agape for half a moment before he snapped it shut with an audible pop. "Of course," he said quickly, "My point is, that I think we have overlooked a very important detail. The Fae are encamped on **our** shores. Legally, they have no right to be on our land, and therefore are bound by their lives and honor to leave. If we bring this before the High King, he is obliged to retract all troops. And if he fails to comply, we are within our legal bounds to attack the camps directly, which would be a crippling blow to our enemies."_

_These words were let out in a nervous rush, and Arden crossed his arms as he regained his breath. He looked proud of himself for having come up with what he thought was a most ingenious plan, and he couldn't wait to hear his Father's praise._

_Priam however, was not impressed. "That is your plan?" he asked in disbelief, "You have been pestering me for gods know how long, for that?" Arden's face fell, and he dropped his arms._

_"I don't know what you mean, Father," the prince replied quietly, "Of course that is my plan." He frowned and looked down at the table._

_With a long, deep sigh, Priam passed a hand over his eyes. "Arden," he began slowly, trying to contain his negative emotion, "If things were that simple, we would have done it long before. However, what you failed to realize was that the Fae are not encamped on our shores. The shores belong to the High King. Therefore, we are the ones bound by law, life, and honor to leave them be until they launch a direct attack. And even then, we must still steer clear of their lands unless they intrude on the royal family's right to life or freedom."_

_"But this is war, Father," Arden protested, his tone becoming petulant, "Why are there rules to it? Why must we stick to this code?"_

_Expression darkening, the king stood up straight and looked his son in the eyes for the first time since their discussion started. "Where would we be without honor?" he asked, "Where would the moral standard be? We must stick to this code, because in wartime, it is the only thing we have. I advise you to think upon that." With those words, Priam turned around in a swirl of robes, and exited the room, leaving Arden to glare at his father's retreating back.._.

Ten years into the war, Arden had become older, more prepared, and much more clever when it came to battle preparation. No longer was he unlearned in wartime conduct. Now he was able to understand the inner workings of the law and code of honor, and he was more than ready to twist, bend, and circumvent them to his will.

The Fae would not stand a chance.

**xXx**

_Don't forget to leave a review!_


	13. Chapter 12

_A/N: I'm sure you readers are enjoying this, but I'm not pleased that I keep making these chapters so long. It means I have to keep making them longer! :P Thanks to everyone who read, subscribed, favorited and reviewed the last chapter. I'm really excited, because now this story has gotten more alerts than **Beauty's Beast**. Hooray! Thank you everyone for all the love! :)_

**xXx**

"Goblin King," Sarah spoke up, picking her way carefully through the wet ground, "I'm not so sure this is mud." She shuddered and held both arms out wide for balance. Her desire to avoid falling down on the pathway or into the rushing water to her left overrode her desire to keep her clothes neat, and the edges of her skirt were stained with the mess that had collected on the ground.

"It took you long enough to realize that," Jareth replied with a smirk, a few paces ahead of her, "This is most assuredly dung."

The pair hadn't been walking down the first passage long when they discovered a doorway off to the side that led into what Sarah had first thought was an underground river. Jareth however, knew it to be the Elven city's sewage system, and had led them along the small walkway that lined the water. The path was only around two and a half feet wide, and the entire tunnel reeked of decay and sewage.

"You are aware that these are the city's sewers, are you not?" Jareth asked in response to Sarah's groan of disgust as her foot squished in a pile of filth.

"I'm aware of it now," She answered, gagging, "This is absolutely revolting!" She shuddered and struggled to keep up with the Goblin King's faster pace. "Why do you have to be so much more balanced than me?" she asked indignantly as she tripped over a protruding cobblestone.

Jareth chuckled and paused his steps to wait for Sarah to catch up. "I'm a Fae, you're a mortal," he supplied, turning around in amusement to watch her carefully step over the path, "Unfortunately for you, you could never be as graceful as one of us. It has to do with the magic in our blood."

"Well it's not fair!" Sarah muttered, finally catching up to the king. Jareth smirked and turned around, continuing his trek.

"Life's hardly fair, Princess," he replied over his shoulder, "That's a lesson you'd best learn quickly." Sarah scowled at his back and then turned her gaze back to the ground. She didn't want to trip again if she could help it.

"You never did tell me why you wanted to speak to me," Jareth spoke up after a moment of silence, "What exactly caused you to wish for my presence?"

Sarah side-stepped a pile of unknown substance and looked up. "I saw a ship come into the harbor today," she answered, slowly, distracted by her steps, "And I saw that it was my father's."

"And?" Jareth probed, looking back towards her, "What of it?"

"And I was hoping it might have brought word of my family," Sarah finished, "Do you know if my father was on the ship?" She looked hopefully at the Goblin King and gave him a small smile.

The Goblin King's brow furrowed in thought. "Your father was not on the ship," he answered at length, coming to yet another halt, "But I believe your brother has arrived."

Sarah's eyes lit up as she too stopped in her tracks. "Toby?" she asked excitedly, "Toby's here? Have you seen him?" She thought for a moment. "He must be around fifteen now! How is he?"

"Your father made him a general," Jareth deadpanned, "He is the youngest general in your country's history, but from what I observed by speaking with him this morning, I feel he shall be an adequate one."

Jaw dropping, Sarah could hardly contain her shock. "Father made him general?" she breathed. Her eyes filled up with unbidden tears and she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. "Oh gods. He really has grown up."

Cringing, Jareth hoped Sarah wouldn't lose her composure like she did earlier. "You should be proud of him," he said quickly, trying to defuse the situation, "He appears to be a very mature young mortal. It will be an honor to fight alongside him." However, when he mentioned fighting, Sarah let out a strangled noise, and Jareth realized that it had been the wrong thing to say.

"He's not that old," Sarah protested, blinking furiously. She refused to cry again. Not after her meltdown earlier. She could only take so much humiliation. "He's not old enough to be in battle. What is my father thinking?"

Jareth crossed his arms, but avoided leaning against the filthy stone wall. "Your father is thinking that your brother will make a fine general," he answered, even though her question was more rhetorical than anything else, "He may be young, but he is not too young to be fighting. Your brother is nearly a man, Princess."

Taking a deep breath, Sarah shook her head. "I don't want to think about it right now," she said after a moment of composing herself, "Let's just hurry up and get out of here."

Silently nodding in agreement, the Goblin King turned around and continued to lead them down the wet path. Their feet made odd squishing noises with each step, and Jareth found a small tinge of amusement in each time Sarah let out a noise of disgust. The pair had been picking their way in silence for what felt like hours, though Jareth knew it could have only been an hour or so, when they came to a part of the tunnel where the pathway stopped.

A narrow footbridge crossing the sewer water began where the path ended, and coming to a halt, Jareth looked across it. He could see light streaming down from the ceiling, revealing an old wooden ladder. Hopefully the ladder would lead to a secluded part of the city, or even better, out away from the city. Otherwise, both he and Sarah would most assuredly be easy targets for any manner of enemies to take advantage of.

"We're almost there," he called to Sarah, who was lagging behind, "That light means we are near the surface. Once we climb that ladder, providing it holds our weight that is, we are free to go our separate ways."

Sarah, still several paces behind, looked up from her feet. "Our separate ways?" she asked hesitantly. Jareth shrugged.

"Of course," he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "We each have our own duties to attend to. Isn't your sister worried to the point of insanity over you?"

With a sigh, Sarah nodded. "Yes," she replied quietly, "I suppose she is." She bit her lip in thought, but Jareth was too caught up in getting out of the sewers to catch her contemplating expression.

Forcing himself to ignore the resigned tone in Sarah's voice, Jareth began to make his way across the bridge. His trek was halted halfway however, by Sarah's voice calling from the foot of the bridge.

"Take me with you."

Jareth turned around and gave the girl a long stare. She looked so hopeless standing on the end of the path, clothes wet, stained, and torn, her hair a complete mess, all the while clutching her crystal tightly with both hands. "Please," she pleaded, the crystal's glow making her look more haggard than she actually was, "Let me go back with you."

Something wrenched tightly inside Jareth, and in that moment, he desired with all his might to be able to give the princess what she wished.

"I haven't seen or heard from my family in ten years," Sarah elaborated, too caught up in the events of the day to be ashamed of her desperation, "If I go with you, I can be reunited with them. I- I miss the Underground. I miss the people I love."

"You have your sister." Jareth offered weakly. How was he going to be able to turn her request down?

Sarah let out a bitter laugh. "Karen?" she scoffed, "My sister and I couldn't be more distant. Karen cares for no one but herself. She is hardly family to me anymore." She shook her head. "Elves have been kinder to me than she," Sarah continued, "I am nothing but a means to an end for her."

Closing his eyes, Jareth wished he could find words to say. There was absolutely no possible way he could take the girl back to the camps. But the thought of turning her request down pained him to a point where he doubted his sanity.

"Sarah," he said quietly taking a deep breath, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah." He opened his eyes, and looked into the princess's face. Seeing the resignation in his expression, Sarah shook her head.

"Don't say no, your highness," she pleaded, her voice rising, "Please. Don't say no." She wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head, her emotions getting the best of her.

Jareth walked back to her side and took her free hand into his. "Allow me to explain why," he said softly, "Perhaps then you will see why I must refuse your request."

Lifting her head, Sarah gripped his hand tightly. Surprisingly, her eyes were tear-free, though swirling full of emotion. "Explain then," she replied, struggling to keep her voice even, "Tell me why."

With a sigh, Jareth began to walk them across the bridge. "You understand Fae and Elvish law, do you not?" he asked. Sarah nodded, but then shook her head.

"Somewhat," she replied after a moment of thought, "It never was a subject I threw myself into, like poetry." With a chuckle, Jareth stopped them at the ladder, having led them across the bridge. The pair leaned up against the old wood, and Sarah drew her hand out of the Goblin King's grip.

"It is not the most exciting of subjects, I can assure you," he informed her with a wry grin, trying to lighten the mood, "However, knowledge of it is vital to a successful war strategy. One of the laws, or rather, series of laws, deals with a certain code of honor in wartime. Have you not wondered why the Elves have not directly attacked the Fae camps along the shore?"

Sarah frowned. "I have not," she answered, "The shores belong to the High King. King Priam has no right to intrude on his property."

"Precisely," Jareth continued, "But, there are a few circumstances in which the Elf King would be well within his rights to invade the camps. If you came back with me, it would be seen as kidnapping, and the Fae would be charged with encroaching on a member of the royal family's right to freedom and possibly life. This would then give the Elves full rights to launch an attack."

"But... but... that's absolutely ridiculous," Sarah protested, eyes flashing, "I'm not even a member of the royal family! And if I came willingly-"

"That hardly matters," Jareth interrupted, "The Elves would take any and every chance they could to legally launch an attack on our camps, even if it means twisting the laws to fit their means."

Loosening her hold on the crystal in her hand slightly (she had been holding it with a death-grip), Sarah pushed away from the ladder she was leaning on to look at the Goblin King straight on. "I see now," she informed him, seriously, "Coming with you would be a threat to your life, to the lives of all the soldiers, and to Toby." Jareth placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If I didn't know it to be a death sentence on the lives of the men who rely on me, I would have no qualms about taking you with me," he told her, "Please understand that." With a nod, Sarah closed her eyes. She had been so close! So close to leaving her life behind and going back to what she used to know. Disappointment hurt, but the weight of thousands of soldiers' lives threatened by her presence outweighed the sting.

Instead of dwelling on her failed attempt to be reunited with her brother, Sarah turned her attention to the ladder. "How do you suppose we get out of here?" she asked, looking up at the beams of light streaming through cracks in the ceiling, "We have no idea where this leads."

With a small smile at Sarah's practicality, Jareth rubbed his chin. "It would most likely be best if you went up first," he answered, thinking out loud more than anything else, "As there is a chance that we are still inside the city. If you don't mind that is." He followed Sarah's gaze up the ladder, and squinted at the light.

"I don't mind," Sarah conceded quickly, "I'll go up and see where we are." Looking down at her hands, she studied the crystal she was holding. Then, handing it towards Jareth, she said, "Here. Thank you for letting me use this."

Jareth took the crystal from her, but instead of making it disappear like Sarah thought he would, he leant over it and whispered a few words in Fae. Sarah couldn't quite hear what he was saying and leaned forward. She strained to make out the words, but to no avail. Once Jareth was done speaking, the light faded from it, and he held the orb out to her.

"Keep it," he said with a small smile, "It's a gift." Sarah carefully took it back and squinted at it in the dark.

"What is it?" She asked, holding it up to the light to see it better.

Grabbing the crystal that was still floating beside his head, Jareth spun it around his hands. "It's a crystal," he shrugged, "Nothing more." He tossed his own ball up into the air and it disappeared without a sound. "But," he continued, leaning forward and taking hold of Sarah's hand, "If you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams."

Eyes widening, Sarah let her wrist be turned by the Goblin King's hand. In the dim light, she could just barely make out movement inside the crystal, and she let out a gasp. "There are pictures!" she exclaimed, "And they're moving!" She looked up and smiled. "Thank you," she breathed, "Thank you so much."

Jareth released her wrist and waved off her thanks with his hand. "It's only a crystal," he said, repeating his earlier statement, "Nothing to get excited over." Sarah grinned even wider and carefully tucked the gift inside the pocket of her skirt.

Turning to the ladder, Sarah carefully tested her weight on the first rung. The wood seemed to be able to hold her, and she slowly began to ascend. The ladder was only around fifteen rungs tall, and it didn't take long for Sarah to get to the top.

"There's a trap door," she called to Jareth, though she refused to look down, "I'm going to push it up."

"Slowly," Jareth cautioned, holding on to the ladder and looking up, "Open it slowly. Otherwise you might attract unwanted attention."

Carefully, Sarah began to push at the covering, but it wasn't budging. Applying a little more force, she slid her leg through the ladder rungs so she was straddling it and pressed her forearms against the hatch and let out a grunt. "It's not moving!" she growled in frustration, letting go of the hatch and slamming both hands on the ladder, "Ugh! I wish this would just open!"

Suddenly, the door jerked violently and with a loud creak, flew open, raining dust on both Sarah and Jareth and blinding them with light. Sarah choked and spluttered in shock, and in her disoriented state, lost her balance. With a cry, she slipped backwards and it was only due to her position straddling the ladder that she didn't hit the ground. Instead, Sarah dangled upside down, suspended only by one leg

For a moment, Jareth stared up at her completely dumbstruck, and Sarah was too shocked to make a noise. Then, when it finally registered in her brain, she let out an odd strangled sound.

"Help me down!" she nearly shrieked, squirming to try and lift herself up. Unfortunately, her abdominal muscles were not strong enough to hold her high enough up to right herself, and she swung violently back upside down. Her head hit the ladder with a thump, and she hissed in pain.

Snapping back into reality, Jareth hurried up the ladder. "Don't let go," he warned, his head coming level with hers, "This would be a very bad time for you to fall." He climbed high enough so that his waist was at the same height as Sarah's. Sticking one leg between the ladder rungs, Jareth straddled the ladder and took hold of Sarah's shoulders with one arm, and the back of Sarah's waist with the other.

"As soon as you can grab the ladder," he coached, pulling Sarah up, "Slide your foot out and let it drop to a lower rung."

Sarah, now bent nearly in half, took hold of the ladder and nodded. "Don't let me fall." she said in a strained voice. Jareth laughed despite the situation.

"I won't."

Slowly, Sarah slid her leg away from the ladder and let her weight drop. Her boots caught her on the ladder again, only this time leaving her right side up on the same rung as Jareth. "Thank you!" she gasped, grateful to not be hanging upside down. She coughed, and brushed the dust and dirt away from her face with one hand, grimacing as she did so.

"You did it again." Jareth looked up at the opening in awe, and then looked at Sarah. "You made a wish, and it came true."

Sarah blinked. "No," she answered slowly, holding onto the ladder tightly, "No, it wasn't me. You did it. You must have." She made to brush off his comment and climb out the opening, but Jareth's hand on her arm stopped her.

"It was me," he said, "But it was you too. I felt it this time. I could feel myself forcing the hatch open, but I didn't and still don't feel a strain on my magical energy."

With a frown, Sarah looked back at the Goblin King. "I don't understand," she replied, "What do you mean?" Jareth mimicked her expression and then swung his leg back out from the opposite side of the ladder so that he was no longer straddling it.

"I meant that I granted your wish," he elaborated, "Again." He grinned like a young child and seated himself on the ladder rung. "I wonder why it is that I can do that."

Sarah was puzzled. "Shouldn't you be upset?" she asked as she pulled clumps of dirt from her hair, "I mean, you had no power over yourself when I made that wish. Is that not even the slightest bit disconcerting to you?"

Cocking his head slightly to the side, Jareth frowned. "You don't understand," he explained, "I haven't been able to respond to any wishing summons for the past eight years. To finally be able to use my magic in that way feels unbelievably... incredible!"

"But what if I make a bad wish? What if someone finds out? What if someone else can make wishes like that?" Sarah was concerned with Jareth's apparent lack of concern.

"I don't think it would work that way," Jareth replied, resting one arm on the ladder, "But we could try. Here, make a wish I wouldn't want to grant."

Just as Sarah was about to protest though, a noise from above the hatch startled them both to attention. Cursing himself for losing focus like he did, Jareth clapped a hand over Sarah's mouth, right before she could make a sound. He leaned in close to her, and when his mouth was right next to her ear, he breathed, "Not a sound, or we both are as good as dead."

**xXx**

_Dun dun dunnnnn! Looks like Sarah and Jareth are in trouble! What do you think will happen next?_

_Make sure to leave me a review, telling me what you thought of this chapter. :)_


	14. Chapter 13

_A/N: Oh, hey there. Yup, I'm still alive and stuff. Just craaaaazy busy. I meant to get this chapter up like two weeks ago. But alas, life had a few tricks it wanted to to try on me. Lame. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it despite the nasty wait, and the cliffhanger I left you all with in the last chapter._

_Thanks again to all you fantabulous people who read, favorite, subscribe to, and especially review this story. It makes my day to see people enjoying my writing. :) But enough with this foolish chatter! I know you're just waiting to get to the story part. Soooooo, without further ado, I give to you, Chapter 13 in** Batalla Dos Corazons!**_

**xXx**

Sarah's eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. As quickly as he had moved before, Jareth removed his hand from her mouth and pulled out of her personal space. Silently, they both sat without moving, hoping fervently that whatever had made the noise was not an enemy. Gripping the ladder tightly, Sarah nearly stopped breathing in an attempt to become even more quiet.

Jareth rolled his hand, a crystal forming at his fingertips. He held it loosely in his hand, prepared to throw it at the slightest sense of true danger. After a few moments passed, he slowly shifted, about to make his way up the ladder and look to see if anyone was there. However, Sarah's hand tugging on his shirt stopped him.

Sarah refused to let go, and instead, moved to mimic his earlier position, leaning to whisper in his ear. "Don't go up," she breathed, trying to stay as silent as possible, "If there are elves up there, you're nothing more than a sitting duck. If I get caught, the consequences are less extreme."

Allowing himself to slip back to his original position on the ladder, Jareth nodded in agreement. He held up the crystal in his hand, silently indicating that he had her covered, and Sarah smiled. She carefully climbed up the rest of the ladder and poked her head out of the top. Then, as soon as she stuck her head up, she ducked right back down.

"Damn!" she muttered, climbing back down to be on level with Jareth, "We're right outside the city. Literally. The only thing keeping us from being detected right away is the edge of the archers' tower looming over the opening. We are right next to the city wall. I think a patrolman made the noise we heard. It's a miracle we haven't been caught yet."

Lips pressed together in a tight line, Jareth furrowed his brow in thought. "This is bad," he finally whispered, "But we cannot simply sit here. Let's get off this ladder and attempt to figure a way out."

All Sarah could do was silently nod, too worried to argue, and she quickly descended the ladder, careful to keep her balance. Only once her boots were planted firmly one the ground did Jareth follow her path down.

Once he was off the ladder, the Goblin King almost immediately began to pace the small area of ground, one hand holding his chin, the other behind his back still clutching his crystal. His eyes were closed and Sarah dearly hoped he would be aware of where he was pacing. She could only imagine the horror and chaos that would ensue should Jareth take a misstep and tumble into the sewage rushing by right next to them.

"What to do, what to do," he mused, turning on his heel and taking three steps before turning again. Sarah glanced nervously up at the still-open hatch and absently bit her lip in contemplation. What could they do?

Certainly, Jareth could wait until his magic was fully recovered and transport himself back to the Fae camps, or he could wait for nightfall and fly back. Sarah however, had no way of entering the city without drawing attention to herself. And it would be foolish to even think of asking Jareth if he could transport them inside the city. He had been so exhausted from just moving them both several feet.

How on earth then would they get back? The situation was hopeless. Sarah took a deep breath and tried to sort out some sort of logical plan, but every single scenario ended with Jareth leaving and her stuck.

Oh gods. What if he left her right where she was? What if he just left for the camps, leaving her to fend for herself in the catacombs? He could do it; there was no reason for him not to. Sarah was just holding him back.

"Don't leave me!" she whispered abruptly, causing Jareth to halt his pacing and stare at her in surprise, "Please don't leave me here."

Jareth frowned. "You truly believe I would leave you on your own?" he asked quietly, the slightest hint of hurt lacing his tone, "That I would be as selfish, cruel, and callous to allow you to deal with this situation alone when it is my responsibility as well?"

Guilt flooded Sarah's conscience like a wave, and she immediately lowered her gaze, ashamed to have accused him of abandoning her. Where had her sense gone? "I-I'm sorry," she answered, covering her face with her hands, "Oh gods, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to accuse your honor. It's just... the only way I can see either one of us getting out is with you using your magic to get yourself out."

Suddenly, Jareth's eyes lit up. "That's it!" he exclaimed in a loud whisper, taking Sarah by the shoulders, "Sarah, you are a genius!"

Pulling her hands away from her face, Sarah's face clouded with confusion. "No I'm not," she replied slowly, "I just implied that you would leave me here in these catacombs. Right now I feel like the biggest fool in-"

She was cut off by Jareth clapping his hand over her mouth. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Make a wish." he whispered, excitement practically radiating from his body.

Eyes widening in comprehension, Sarah reached up and pulled his hand away from her mouth. "That's right! The wishes!" she breathed, holding tightly to Jareth's hand, "Do you think that will work?"

"Of course it will!" Jareth shrugged, "It's worked the last two times, hasn't it?"

Sarah nodded in affirmation. "True," she admitted, "But what do I wish for? I need to be specific. I don't want to end up with you in another ridiculous disguise in an alleyway."

Jareth grinned and thought for a moment. He couldn't wait to see what happened after Sarah made her wish. "I suppose you ought to wish to be in the location that you think would be safest. But be sure to name it."

"I guess it can't get much safer than my rooms," Sarah thought out loud, looking down, "Though that would be a little hard to explain..."

Raising one eyebrow, Jareth scoffed. "Not really," he countered, "If you are not specific about how much time you spent in your rooms, that is."

With a sigh, Sarah raised her head. "All right," she conceded, "My rooms it is. I wish-"

"Wait!" Jareth interrupted, "Hand me the crystal I gave you."

Reluctantly, Sarah pulled the gift out of her pocket. "Why do you want it?" she asked, placing it in his outstretched hand, "Are you going to keep it?"

Jareth chuckled. "No, I'm not going to keep it," he informed her, "I told you it was a gift. I'm simply adding more to it." He leaned over the ball and whispered something; again, too quietly for Sarah to hear. Handing it back to her, he grinned. "Now you can let me know when you make it safely to the castle."

Sarah carefully took the crystal back, and studied it with squinted eyes. "How can I do that?" she asked, genuinely curious. Jareth smiled and held up the crystal he had formed earlier.

"Hold it close to your mouth and say the Fae word for speak, my name, and then the Fae word for king," Jareth replied, "Do you know how to say those words?"

"I don't know if I can say them properly," Sarah answered with a frown, "I can spell them for you though." She grinned wryly.

Jareth smiled back and then turned his attention to his crystal. "Listen to me then," he coached, "The word for speak is_ falar_, which is pronounced _fah-lar_. You already know how to say my name," here he raised a questioning eyebrow, and Sarah rolled her eyes, "And the Fae word for king is _rei,_ pronounced _rehy_. Your name to me is different, obviously. So if I wanted to contact you, I would do this."

Here he held up the crystal to his mouth and said clearly, "Falar Sarah princesa." Suddenly, the crystal in Sarah's hand grew warm, and glowed softly. Looking up, Sarah shook her head in confusion. "What do I do?"

"Simply say falar," Jareth instructed, "And that will activate the communication."

"Fah-lar," Sarah said slowly, stumbling through the word. The glow faded, and in it's place was an image of Jareth's face. Sarah gasped, and her eyes grew enormous. "I see you!" she exclaimed, though still managing to keep her voice low, "I see you!"

"Indeed," Jareth replied, amused at the princess's excitement. He cut off the connection, and turned his attention to her. "Now, I want you to initiate communication."

With a deep breath, Sarah leaned over her crystal and carefully said her right words. Immediately, Jareth's crystal began glow, and Sarah looked up triumphantly.

"I did it," she declared, her voice holding a small trace of smugness, "Do you see? I did it."

"Perfect," Jareth replied, vanishing his crystal with a small pop, "Now, are you ready to make that wish?"

Nodding, Sarah tucked her crystal back in her pocket. "Whenever you are," she said quietly, "As soon as I get my bearings, I'll contact you."

"I'll be waiting."

Closing her eyes, Sarah took a deep breath. Then suddenly, she impulsively moved forward, throwing her arms around the Goblin King. "Thank you," she said in a rush, "Thank you for all you've done for me." She squeezed him tightly, and Jareth, despite his surprise, couldn't help but be amused at the childish innocence her embrace held.

"You know, Princess," he replied softly, allowing his arms to wind themselves around her body, "I am partially to blame for bringing us down to the catacombs. You wouldn't be in this mess, or such a mess had I not-"

"You've been more than kind to me," Sarah interrupted, resting her head on his chest. The length and demands of the day were taking their toll on her, and she was becoming tired. "And you and I both know it was I who made the first wish." She closed her eyes drowsily, and loosened her hold slightly on the Goblin King.

"All right," Jareth conceded, "Now make the wish so you can get cleaned up. You smell like death, and your feet are covered in dung." Sarah sighed tiredly and pulled away, reluctant to open her eyes.

"Thank you again," she said, opening her eyes, "I hope you didn't find me to be a terrible bore." She grinned wryly.

Jareth just shook his head. "Not in the slightest," he replied warmly, "Enough talk though! Make your wish. I do not desire to stay in this hole for much longer."

With a small laugh, Sarah closed her eyes and pictured her quarters. "I wish," she declared, hoping the wish would work, "I wish I was in my rooms."

Jareth felt the magical energy flowing from him, but he did not feel a drain. He wondered, as Sarah faded from sight, whether or not it was really him providing the magic to fulfill her wishes, or if he was simply a channel for some other power. Since his energy was unchanged from before Sarah made her wish, Jareth quickly focused on transporting himself back to the camps.

This time he made it to his destination without any problem. Jareth found himself standing inside his tent, still covered in filth, but safe and sound. Also, he wasn't exhausted, and was able to remain standing and alert after the transportation. How relieving.

Stripping off his absolutely revolting shirt, Jareth tossed it outside his tent. The article was good for nothing more than charcloth after all the wear and filth it had encountered.

With a sigh of relief, the Goblin King sank down on his cot and slowly pulled off his boots, but not before taking out his crystal and setting it beside him. He didn't want to miss Sarah's confirmation that she had indeed made it back to the castle safely. As he yanked his stockings down his legs, he felt the drain of the day on his body. Not only had it been physically exhausting, but mentally and magically as well. Oh how he simply wanted to lay down and sleep for ten years!

Perhaps the several months without going to direct battle had made him soft. Right then, Jareth resolved to dedicate more time in each day to training. He couldn't risk being weak, especially in a time of war.

Resolution made, he leaned back until his head was rested on his pillow. Once Sarah had contacted him, he would head to the ocean to bathe, and then abuse his position as High Heir to take at least an hour to rest.

Why hadn't Sarah contacted him yet? She had made her wish fifteen minutes ago at the very least... was something wrong? Had she not made it through in one piece. Panic flashed through his mind as he pictured the princess arriving in her rooms missing a limb. Shooting up from his laying position, Jareth snatched up his crystal, intent on trying to reach her.

Then, as quickly as the dread washed over him, reason cleared his mind. _Just wait a little longer,_ he thought, _She is most likely simply recovering from the transportation._ He laid back down and tried to relax. _Just a few more minutes. She will be fine._

**xXx**

"Any word of my sister yet?" a distraught Karen inquired to one of the soldiers riding back into the castle's courtyard. The young elf shook his head and dismounted his horse.

"We have discovered no sign of her since we first found her horse, M'lady," he replied seriously, "But as soon as we learn anything, you shall be one of the first to know." Pulling off his helmet, the soldier turned to lead his horse into the stables.

Karen sighed and reluctantly returned to the castle doors. It had been almost three hours since she left Sarah in the marketplace, and she was growing concerned. Not only for Arden's plan, but more so for her sister. What if she had been kidnapped? What if she was being held for ransom? What if she had been killed?

She would never be able to forgive herself if something had happened to Sarah. Each unkind word Karen could remember saying to her sister came filtering through her mind, and she grew more and more upset. If she never saw Sarah again, Karen would never be able to make things right with her! Against her will, Karen's eyes filled with tears at the thought.

Running past the two guards at the castle doors, Karen fled down the halls, trying to get back to her rooms before anyone could see her cry. Hands over her eyes to try and stop her tears, she was hardly aware of her surroundings. It was no surprise then, that she ran right into Arden who was walking out of the hallway that led to the family quarters.

"Karen, what is the matter?" he asked, true concern in his voice as he enfolded her trembling body into his arms, "Are you hurt?" He rubbed small circles on her back and tried to comfort her. "Tell me, my love."

"Oh Arden," Karen whispered, not trusting herself to speak any louder, "What if she's been killed? I should never have let her out of my sight!" She was truly crying now, and she fumbled in her skirt pocket for a handkerchief to stop her tears from running down her face and dripping onto Arden's shirt.

Seeing her distress, Arden quickly pulled his own handkerchief out of his pocket and gently handed it to her. "You mean Sarah?" he clarified, "Karen, I am certain she is fine. She probably found something that distracted her, and now is so completely engrossed in it that she has lost track of everything else around her. You know how your sister is." He looked down and gave her a smile.

Karen sniffed and dabbed her eyes. "But what if she isn't?" she pressed tearfully, "My sister is practical and logical. Why would she be gone for this long? And why would she leave her horse? It doesn't make sense!" She gave out a small cry and buried her face in Arden's handkerchief. "I just know something's happened to her!" she sobbed, her voice muffled by the cloth.

"Karen," Arden comforted, giving his lover a squeeze, "Sarah will be all right. I have sent guards all over the city to look for her. It won't be much longer until she is found."

"We can't use her, Arden," Karen moaned, rocking against him, "I would never be able to forgive myself. Come up with a new plan. Please. This is maddening." Her breathing grew erratic as she tried to keep her sobs quiet, and her chest heaved with awkward gasps.

"All right, all right," Arden consoled, resting his cheek on her head, "We won't use Sarah. I can easily think of something else. Just calm down and breathe. All will be well."

He continued to whisper words of comfort and hold her close until she had calmed down. Once her tears had stopped, he pulled away and took both her hands in his. "Better?" he asked kindly. Karen nodded, eyes puffy and nose red. Arden smiled, and offered, "Why don't you wait in her room for her? Would that make you feel more comfortable?"

Karen closed her eyes and smiled softly. "It would," she replied, her voice shuddery from crying, "Thank you."

Wordlessly, the Elf prince swept the mortal princess up into his arms bridal-style. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he slowly carried her towards her sister's room. The approached the shut door, and Arden gently set Karen on her feet so he could open the door. However, when he reached to turn the knob, a sound shocked him as well as Karen.

Inside Princess Sarah's room came a loud thud, and then a muffled "oomph!" Arden turned and met Karen's wide eyed gaze with his own look of shock. Quickly, he turned the knob and burst into the room, Karen hot on his heels.

**xXx**

Because her eyes were closed, she missed the colors swirling around. She did not see her scenery changing. Sarah did, however, feel the shift in her balance, and felt the nausea that accompanied magical transportation. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of her room.

She did not stay standing for long, however. The after-effects of the transportation kicked in, and Sarah tumbled to the ground with an "oomph!" Just as she shook her head to try to get her bearings, her door was thrown open, and in rushed Prince Arden accompanied by Karen.

"Oh thank the gods you are all right!" Karen cried, throwing herself on the floor and pulling Sarah into a tight embrace. But as suddenly as she had grabbed on to her sister, Karen let her go.

"Why are you such a mess?"

**xXx**

_A/N: Ha! I'll bet you weren't expecting that side of Arden. You know, the side that actually cares about something/one other than himself. Anyway, please make sure to leave me a review telling me what you thought of the chapter. Even if it's a "great chapter, I liked it" kind of review, I still love to hear from you lovely readers!_


	15. Chapter 14

_A/N: Whew! With midterms coming up, it's a bloody miracle I got this up when I did. Originally, I had planned to update on Friday, but things didn't go as planned. So anyway, I'm terribly sorry to have made you wait for so long. Forgive me? :)_

**xXx**

Sarah didn't have any time to respond to her sister's enquiry. The day's activities had taken their toll on her energy and strength, and those combined with the magical transportation were too much for Sarah to handle. Slowly, her senses began to fade, and she collapsed limply in Karen's arms.

"Oh gods!" Karen exclaimed, pulling her hands away in shock, causing Sarah's head to loll on her lap. "Arden, she's fainted! Get a healer! Oh, do it quickly! Run!" She reached down and held Sarah's face in both hands. "Please be all right, Sarah," she pleaded, "Please stay with me."

It took a moment for Arden to react, and it wasn't until Karen looked up and snapped, "Get a healer, Arden! Now!" that he finally sprang into action. Quickly, he ran from the room, intent on finding the royal family's healer.

Karen bent over and rested her forehead against her sister's dirty one, trying to will herself to calm down. Sarah's pulse was still beating consistently, so Karen knew her sister was alive at the very least. She probably exhausted herself in some way to the point that her body was no longer able to function. She must have, if her dirty and torn clothes were of any indication.

It felt like eternity, but in actuality was only a few minutes before Arden returned, the old elf that served as the royal healer in tow. A handful of servants had also followed, but whether they were to help or to spectate was unclear. Sarah still had not stirred, and Karen was close to becoming hysterical.

"If you don't do something to help her, I swear I will have your head!" she declared in a shaky voice, "Have I made myself clear?" She hadn't moved from her spot on the floor, and Sarah's head was pillowed in her lap. The healer nodded seriously, but was unaffected by her panicked threats.

"Help me move her to the bed," he directed at the servants. Two strong-looking men stepped forward and carefully picked up Sarah's limp body. It took all of Karen's willpower not to grab at her sister and keep her in her arms. Instead, she cradled her sister's head as she was carried and laid down.

"I'm doing to run a few diagnostic spells," the healer informed Karen and Arden, "Please don't be alarmed if the princess begins to glow. It is simply a side effect of the spells and will only last as long as hold the spell."

Karen nodded and backed away from the bed, but she took hold of Sarah's hand. The healer smiled comfortingly and rubbed his hands together to warm them. However, before he could begin any diagnostics, Sarah shifted and let out a groan.

"Wait!" Karen cried, holding an arm out to stop the healer. "She's coming to!"

Sarah groaned again, and her eyes slowly opened. "My head," she moaned, bringing both hands up to cover her face, "Oh gods." She started to sit up, but Karen quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait just a moment," she told her, relief evident in her voice, "You've been unconscious for a few minutes." Sarah nodded and closed her eyes; her head hurt too much for her to argue.

"What happened to you?" Karen asked tentatively after a few moments, giving Sarah's hand a squeeze, "You had me so terrified."

For a moment, Sarah seemed to freeze. "I-I don't remember," she answered quietly, a light flush coloring her dirty face, "I don't know how I got here." Slowly, she sat up, wincing as all the blood rushed away from her head.

The healer frowned. "Memory loss," he tutted, "Princess, I'm going to have to run a rather large series of spells on you, to see if you received any permanent damage aside from your lack of remembrance."

Sarah's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before losing their wild look. "Before you do," she pleaded, carefully sitting up, "At least allow me to clean up. I smell positively rank."

The healer gave her a funny look, but Karen sided with her. "Oh yes," she said, backing Sarah up, "Bathe. It won't harm you, and it might help you to regain your lost memory." She gave her Sarah a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Karen seemed a little uncomfortable now that her sister was awake, as though she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

"Your majesties," the healer protested, looking like he might have an apoplexy if he wasn't able to check Sarah right then, "I beg you to reconsider. She could be suffering from damage that could grow significantly worse if not treated right away!"

"Sarah will surely discover any injuries while bathing," Karen pressed, "And leaving her in this state would do nothing good for said injuries' recovery. Why use unnecessary magic?"

"I feel like I'm all in one piece," Sarah added, proving her point by slowly swinging her feet over the side of her bed, "And I think I need a bit of time to gather myself mentally. Maybe I can remember once I've had some time to put myself in order." Her eyes stayed trained on the floor, where her dirty wet boots were leaving a mark on the stone.

The healer 'harumphed!' and crossed his arms. "Very well," he grudgingly conceded, giving the princesses a small bow, "But I will be back to take tests. I will not allow the princess to remain undiagnosed, let alone untreated." Muttering under his breath about willful, impossible women, the healer left the room.

"All right, that will be all," Arden declared, clapping his hands and taking charge of the situation, "Everyone out. You've seen enough." He waved the servants out of the room, and Karen flashed him a loving smile. "Leave the princess alone. You," he pointed to two maids, stopping them right before the exited the room, " One of you prepare the princess's bath. I expect the other to return in an hour to retrieve the princess's things and tidy up. _Only_ after an hour has passed, mind you."

Reluctantly, the small crowd exited Sarah's quarters. Karen helped Sarah rise to her feet and took her arm to walk her to an alcove in her room that held a bathtub shielded by a large opaque screen.

"Do you need any help?" Karen asked hesitantly once she had led Sarah completely behind the screen. Sarah shook her head quickly. Too quickly. She winced as pain shot through her skull.

"I'll be fine," Sarah replied after the pain had faded, carefully sitting down to pull her boots off, "Thank you. You don't have to stay and help anymore." She reached up her skirt to pull her leggings down.

"Are you certain?"

"Karen!" Arden called from the other side of the screen, "Sarah said she was fine. Let her be." Karen sighed and gave her sister an awkward pat on the head.

"I want to talk to you later," she whispered softly with a look Sarah couldn't quite discern, "Try not to get into any more trouble." Sarah smiled slowly, unsure of how to react, and then stood up as the servant Arden had spoken to came behind the screen to fill the bath.

Walking back into the main part of Sarah's rooms, Karen allowed Arden to take her arm and walk them both out of the room. "We will also return in an hour," he called over to Sarah, who made a noncommittal noise in response.

Once the pair had left the room, and Arden had shut the door behind them, he turned to Karen. "She's lying, you know," he whispered as they walked down the hall, "About not remembering anything."

Karen's jaw dropped and she pulled away from the prince. "How dare you say such a thing?" she demanded indignantly, "Did you not _see_ her? She looks like she has been living under a rock for a decade. Of course she's telling the truth. How can you be so heartless as to brush off her condition as something else? Trauma does all sorts of things to people!"

Sighing, Arden reached for Karen's arm, but she jerked out of his reach. "Karen," he said in a soft tone, "You don't know what happened to her. Why do you think she was so eager to have everyone leave? And did you see her hesitate before she told you she couldn't remember?"

"Of course I did," Karen replied, struggling to keep her composure, "She was obviously trying to remember, and then found out she couldn't. What is your problem? Why are you saying such things about my sister?"

"Because they are the truth!" Arden replied with a frown, "Why won't you believe me?" Karen scoffed and shook her head.

"You are speaking complete nonsense!" she shot, growing furious, "That is why." She began walking faster down the halls until she reached her rooms. "You may speak to me when you come to your senses," she coldly informed the prince who was still trailing her, "And until then, I do not wish to talk to you." With those parting words, she shut her door with a loud "thud".

**xXx**

Back in Sarah's rooms, she breathed a sigh of relief as the maid finally left the room. It had taken what felt like forever to get her to leave. Sarah did not need any more help, but it seemed impossible for her to convey that information. As the door shut, Sarah quickly dove to the floor and scrambled to retrieve the crystal she had hidden her skirt.

When Karen had asked her what had happened, she panicked. Sarah had no idea what to tell her sister. Her mind went completely blank and she desperately wished she had come up with some story _before_ she returned to the castle.

Memory loss was a risky way out, but Sarah saw it as the only viable option. If only she had thought faster. Now the healer would be running all sorts of diagnostic spells on her. _What if he found out that I had been magically transported?_ Sarah wasn't sure if that could be determined, but she certainly didn't want to find out.

Finally she located the crystal in her skirt, after pulling the article of clothing out of the pile of discarded apparel. Clad only in her chemise, she sank down with her back against the warm, steaming tub and carefully said the words the Goblin King had taught her.

"Falar Jareh, rei."

The crystal became foggy, and Sarah hoped Jareth hadn't become too concerned. She had told him she would contact him as soon as she reached the castle, and it must have been forty-five minutes since she arrived. Sarah clutched the crystal tightly, and held it at an angle that would only show her face and not her indecent attire.

Suddenly, her crystal grew warm and Jareth's face swam into view. His expression was clouded with a mixture of concern and relief.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed, his voice sounding strange coming through the orb, "Are you all right? Why did you wait so long to contact me?"

"I'm fine now," Sarah whispered, not wanting to get caught by a passing servant in the hall, "My sister came in right as I got here, and then I passed out. I haven't been able to be alone till now."

Jareth looked even more relieved upon learning she hadn't been injured. "What did you tell her?" he asked, "Surely she asked about your absence. And if you fainted, she would have been even more suspicious."

With a groan, Sarah leaned her head back. "I told her I didn't remember," she said weakly, staring up at the ceiling, "It was all I could come up with." She held the crystal with one hand and pinched the bridge of her nose with the other. "But I think I just created a whole new series of problems with that excuse!"

The image in the crystal shimmered, and Sarah watched curiously as the background moved. Jareth was obviously in the process of sitting down. "That is a difficult situation," he said seriously, "Are you going to remain 'without your memory', or will you regain it? You first ought to get your story straight and then go from there."

"But I don't have a story," Sarah moaned, "I can't think of one logical enough. And what if the healer can sense if I've been magically transported? Can he do that? Oh gods, what will I do then? I don't know if I can keep up this act of amnesia!"

"Princess," Jareth snapped, having heard enough, "Calm yourself. You will not be able to get yourself out of this muddle if you cannot think clearly."

His sharp tone seemed to snap Sarah out of her panic, and she inhaled deeply. "You're right," she said, letting out a heavy breath, "I need to stop this and come up with some sort of story." Almost to herself, she added quietly, "Oh, but I hate lying."

"Lying is better than getting yourself into deeper trouble, Princess," Jareth retorted, having heard her muttering, "This is war."

Sarah was silent for a moment. "You know what?" she said after a moment, "You're right. As much as it bothers my conscience, I value my well-being as well as yours enough to lie for it."

Jareth smiled and then informed her in a gentler tone than before. "Magical transportation cannot be traced after an short period of time. You are safe from detection." Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars," she replied, "That's one less thing I need to worry about." Sarah looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you think keeping with the amnesia story is a bad idea?" she asked with a frown, "It leaves me with less explaining to do, but it's more than likely to arouse more suspicion."

Jareth's image shrugged. "Do what is best for you to maintain," he supplied, "If it is easier for you to act as though you cannot remember anything, then by all means, do so." A noise sounded from behind Jareth, and he quickly whipped his head around. Sarah wished she could see what had distracted him. Turning back, Jareth whispered, "It sounds as though my presence will be needed shortly. I am glad to see you are unharmed." Another sound drifted through the crystal, and the connection was abruptly cut off.

With a sigh, Sarah set the crystal on the ground and then yanked her chemise over her head. She wrinkled her nose at the the pile of clothes. Had she really gotten that dirty? Her leggings were most likely unsalvageable and her skirt would definitely have to be burned.

As she stepped into the warm tub, she let out a groan of appreciation. The water felt heavenly! Fishing around in the water, she grabbed hold of a bar of soap and began scrubbing herself off. The water quickly became dark and murky, and Sarah quickly finished up cleaning. She didn't want to stay in the tub any longer than necessary. As warm as the water was, it was absolutely disgusting by the time Sarah was clean.

Sarah was wrapped in a robe and had just finished toweling her hair when someone knocked on her door. A maid peeked her head in the door, and silently entered to gather Sarah's clothes.

"The skirt will need to be destroyed," Sarah called, running a brush through her tangled hair, "It is not worth saving. If the leggings can be preserved, that would be wonderful, but don't worry too much about them if they cannot."

Sitting down at her vanity, Sarah began to braid her hair. Just then, another knock sounded through her door, and Prince Arden stepped in.

"Princess," he greeted with a smile, "I came to see if you were feeling better. Karen is currently occupied, but she will be here shortly, I'm sure." His tone held something in it, but Sarah didn't quite know what it was.

"I'm feeling much better," Sarah replied warily, "It's a wonder what feeling clean does to a person." She finished braiding and fastened the damp lock with a ribbon. Still sitting with her back facing him, she added, "Thank you for asking."

Arden frowned. "Any luck with..." he trailed off and tapped a finger to his temple. Sarah shook her head with a smile.

"Not yet," she lied, "It's so very frustrating not knowing what happened to me!" The lies slipped off her tongue with an ease that almost scared her. But it was as the Goblin King had told her. This was wartime, and with that thought, she mentally shook off the tiny tug of guilt in the back of her mind.

The maid came around the screen with Sarah's clothes in her arms. "Your highness?" she asked quietly, "What would you like me to do with this?"

She held up something and Sarah realized in horror that it was the crystal Jareth had given her. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to jump up and snatch it from the maid's fingers. She sent up a prayer of thanks to the heavens that Arden could not see the flash of terror the crystal had brought to her expression, and Sarah tried to calm her racing heart.

How could she have been so careless as to leave it out in the open? Sarah could have kicked herself for her mistake. Hoping her voice didn't betray her shock, Sarah stood up and took the crystal from the maid.

"I don't know what this is," Sarah declared, holding it up to her face but being careful not to turn it. She remembered that the Goblin King had told her something about it revealing dreams when turned a certain way, and she didn't want to start some sort of commotion. "I've never seen anything like it," she continued, "Though it's very pretty." She turned and walked over to her desk, where she placed the orb gently among some papers.

Looking up, Sarah caught a flicker of recognition in Arden's face, and ice shot through her heart. However, instead of confronting her about the crystal like she anticipated, he simply smiled and gave a small bow.

"I am glad you are feeling better," he spoke up in a kind tone, "I believe I will go see how your sister is faring. I am certain she will want to see you as soon as she can. Please excuse me." With those parting words, he exited the room. Silently, the maid followed his example, her nose wrinkled in distaste for the clothes she was carrying.

Sarah sank down into her desk chair and buried her face in her hands. How much did Arden know about Fae crystals? Would he know that she was making it all up? _This is why I don't lie! _she thought to herself, _It's too easy to slip up!_ Sarah sighed as she stood up from her seat. Straightening her shoulders, she resolutely walked to her closet to dress. If she was going to lie, she was going to do it beyond well. Too much was at stake not to.

**xXx**

_Please please please take the time to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Your responses really excite me and oftentimes inspire me to write new things for this story. _


	16. Chapter 15

_A/N: Sooooo I meant to put this up on Tuesday. Ha! Didn't happen, obviously. Puuuuh-leaaase forgive me and still enjoy this chapter!_  
><em>Thanks to everyone who read, subscribed, favorited and especially reviewed this story. You all are amazing!<em>

**xXx **

Just as Jareth severed the connection and vanished the crystal with a poof of glitter-dust, his tent flap was pulled aside, and in walked a tall young man. His eyes were blue, and his hair was a dirty blonde (almost brown) that fell in ringlets almost to his shoulders. His cheeks were rosy, and he was breathing heavily, as though he had been running and had hastily tried to compose himself.

"Your Highness," he panted, trying to sound composed and failing miserably, "Greetings."

Jareth nodded his head and reached for a clean shirt in his trunk. "Hello General," he replied, tugging the shirt on with distaste. He hadn't washed much since he had gotten back; he was too concerned that Sarah hadn't contacted him and had only wiped himself off with a damp cloth. Therefore, putting on clean clothes over his not so clean skin was not the most comfortable sensation.

"What brings you here?" Jareth asked, not bothering to lace up the collar of his shirt. It was coming back off anyway once he was through speaking with the lad.

Taking a deep breath, the young man pushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. "I've been trying to seek an audience with King Menelaus since I first landed here," he answered, looking frustrated, "But he has been avoiding me like the plague. The information I need to share with him is important."

"You've only just arrived," Jareth replied, walking over and clapping a hand on the lad's shoulder, "I'm certain you will be swamped with papers and plans and all manner of wartime preparations in due time."

The boy shook his head. "I need to speak to him _now_," he emphasized, "It is imperative that I speak to him immediately. I have a message from my father that is of the utmost importance. And the king has been purposefully avoiding me. I don't understand it."

Jareth cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you coming to me with this?" he asked slowly.

"I cornered King Menelaus and he waved me off," the general supplied, looking frustrated, "He told me to come to you."

_That rat._ This was Menelaus's way of trying to prove he was ultimately the one with the power. By ignoring the general and sending him to Jareth, he was sending a message that he was too important for 'menial tasks'.

Jareth sighed. "Meet me in the battle tent in a half an hour," he said at length, "Despite what Menelaus may tell you, I am the highest authority here. Anything you have to say to him you can tell me." He snatched up a new set of clothes as he walked out of his tent, and the general followed him out.

"Many thanks, your majesty!" the lad exclaimed gratefully, "I will see you in a half an hour."

Without turning around, Jareth raised a hand in reply and shook his head in amusement. Not even there for an entire day, and Toby was already doing his best to go above and beyond expectations. Of course, the lad seemed nervous; he probably was unused to the position of general.

Scrapping his plan to devote the rest of afternoon to resting, Jareth quickly hurried to the ocean to rid himself of the remaining mess on his person. Had anyone else come to him, Jareth might have brushed them off. However, the young prince-turned-general seemed genuinely concerned, and Jareth didn't think the lad deserved to stress about it any longer. Besides, it wouldn't do to express any displeasure to Menelaus. That would just serve to please the Sprite king.

It didn't take long for Jareth to finish bathing. In no time at all, he was striding through the camp towards the battle tent, his wild hair even wilder having been hastily towel-dried. He pulled the flap back and found General Toby leaning against the table holding the map of the Elven kingdom.

"Thank you for coming, your majesty," he greeted, standing up and brushing invisible dust off his arms, "I promise this is not a light matter."

Jareth made a noncommittal noise in response and walked inside the tent, allowing the tent flap to fall back into place. "What is the message King Robert needs relayed?" he asked, walking around the table to stand across from Toby.

The lad absently pushed his hair away from his face and took a deep breath. "As you know, my father keeps a priestess among his court," Toby began, "Although he never consults her for guidance." Jareth nodded. He was familiar with Cassandra. She often spoke of strange visions and apocalyptic disasters, and her word was rarely taken seriously. Why Robert kept her in his court was beyond Jareth.

"I know of Cassandra," Jareth replied cautiously, "Is this about her?" Toby sighed.

"To an extent," he answered, tilting his hand back and forth, "The night before I departed, she came to my father with a vision. She began speaking to the king about powers untold, death, fire, tragedies, and all manner of chaos stemming from one figure. She claimed that there would be a figure who would possess the power to defeat even death itself."

Jareth cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. "I doubt this is something to be concerned about," he spoke up with a smirk, "When isn't Cassandra ranting on about mass chaos and death?"

Toby allowed himself a small chuckle at the Goblin King's quip. "Indeed," he continued, "Which is why it was so strange that she wasn't ranting this time. She was completely calm as she described vivid scenes she had dreamed of. My father said it was as though she were in a trance."

"So King Robert is taking her words seriously?" Jareth asked slowly. This was a new turn of events. The king _never_ listened to Cassandra, which was why it was so odd that he kept her in court.

"He is," Toby said seriously, "But not because of that." He paused, closing his eyes, and Jareth could see a flash of the fifteen year old boy the general was so desperately trying to hide beneath his professionalism. "The king is taking this prophecy seriously because Cassandra insisted that the potential for chaos and power would come from one of his children."

Breathing in sharply, Jareth uncrossed his arms. "Come again?"

"The prophetess claims that one of my father's children will possess untold power," Toby repeated quietly, "And my father is taking this news very heavily."

Still in shock and confusion, Jareth leaned forward and placed both hands on the table in front of him. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked hoarsely, his mind racing, "What does the king expect me or anyone else to do with this information?"

"We need to find my sisters," Toby declared fiercely, "My father is very concerned not only for their well-being, but also for the safety of all the soldiers here. If the one the prophecy speaks of is one of my sisters, they would easily be exploited by the elves and used to annihilate us."

Jareth closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart beat. His blood was was like ice running through his veins, and he furrowed his brow in attempt to keep composure.

"Tell no one of this," he ordered quietly, opening his eyes and looking up from the table, "Not a soul."

"But your highness-" Toby began, but Jareth cut him off.

"Tell _no one_," he repeated fiercely, dropping his gaze back to the table, "That is an order, General. This information is potentially lethal in the wrong hands. It was pure luck you told me first. This stays between you and I until I have had time to process this information and most likely relay it to my father."

"I understand, King Jareth," Toby replied, "I trust that you will not abuse such information."

"Indeed."

Toby gave a small sigh. "Well, I am very much relieved that I was finally able to complete at least one thing my father asked of me," he declared, absently studying the top of the tent before looking back at the Goblin King. Jareth glanced up and gave him a small grin.

"You will do well," he said, voicing the young man's insecurity, "I have much confidence in you." Toby laughed and shook his head.

"That makes one of us," Toby snorted, "But I appreciate your faith in me."

Standing up, Jareth walked around and took hold of Toby's shoulder. "You should go and seek out King Odysseus," he informed the General, "He will be more than happy assist you in locating your battalion. Just tell him that I sent you."

Toby nodded, and with a small bow, he left the tent. Jareth smirked. Revenge was sweet. His cousin, who had gotten him into far too much trouble over the past two days, would not enjoy showing the young general around, as he would no doubt be wanting to speak to Jareth about what had happened earlier that day.

Turning his thoughts back to what Toby had relayed to him, Jareth couldn't help but think of all that had transpired with Sarah in the catacombs. Surely Cassandra couldn't have seen or meant the strange occurrence between him and Sarah. Cassandra was not a person to be taken seriously.

Jareth shook his head. He couldn't just disregard what happened with the princess, and pass it off as a coincidence next to Cassandra's vision. Oh, how he wanted to. Everything would be so much simpler if he could. But it was impossible. Too much had gone too far for him to even dream of labeling everything a coincidence.

He needed to contact the High King with this information. This situation was beyond Jareth's experience. He knew he could trust his father to keep everything confidential; that was the benefit of being High Heir. Rolling his wrist, Jareth produced a crystal. He needed to speak with Lysander now.

**xXx**

Back in the Elven castle, Karen slowly made her way to her sister's bedroom. She wanted to get to Sarah before the healer began to run his diagnostic spells. Her sister shouldn't have to endure that alone. Not after being forced into gods knew what and then forgetting everything afterwards. All sorts of possible scenarios flitted through Karen's mind as she thought about what could have happened to Sarah. None of them were pleasant to say the least.

There was no way Karen could believe Arden's wild accusations that her sister was lying. Karen never prided herself on her ability to read people, but she was certain Sarah was telling the truth. If she was lying, she would have had some sort of story; amnesia was not something easily faked. At least, that's what Karen assumed. She knew _she_ could never fake anything like that; how could Sarah do it if she couldn't?

No. It wasn't possible. Arden was simply delusional. Karen shook her head, her loose curls bouncing around her face. Arden was most likely upset that his plan hadn't worked, and he was now grasping at straws. _How mature,_ Karen thought sarcastically, _How very very mature of him._

All the time Karen had spent worrying about her sister had caused her to rethink her relationship with Sarah. She had never acted like an older sister to Sarah. How could she continue to be so understanding, even when Karen continued to be self-absorbed?

_I owe her an apology,_ she though miserably as she walked down the hall to Sarah's rooms, _Perhaps after that, I can begin to salvage our relationship. _

She knocked softly on her sister's door, and it was opened by a now fresh-faced Sarah, her wet hair now braided back. She looked relieved.

"Karen," she greeted, her voice slightly higher than ususal, "You're here."

Karen's heart melted. Sarah must have been put on edge after what happened! With a sound that was almost like a coo, Karen pushed her way into the room and wrapped her younger sister in a warm embrace.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, pulling away after a moment, "Can you remember anything now?" She slid her hands up to Sarah's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"No," Sarah replied, looking down at the floor, "Not yet." She looked as though she felt bad, and Karen gently took hold of her chin.

"Maybe it's for the best," she replied gently, "I know you're a good person, Sarah. Bad things wouldn't just happen to you." She smiled, and Sarah looked up, her eyes swimming with an unknown emotion.

"Thank you, Karen," she said, allowing herself a small smile. Karen released Sarah's shoulders and clasped her hands together.

Hesitantly, Karen sat down on the edge of Sarah's bed. Sarah eyed her with curiosity.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, sitting down next to her sister. Karen looked over into her sister's green eyes and sighed.

"Sarah," she began slowly, "I owe you an apology." Sarah gave her a strange look but said nothing, so Karen continued. "I haven't... I haven't been treating you like family..."

**xXx**

Arden paced the length of his personal study frantically. The princess was in possession of _Fae crystal._ How was that even possible? Had she been abducted by the Fae, and then brought back? Why would a Fae do that? What was the point? Had the girl gone willingly with the Fae? Was she a spy?

For half a second, Arden considered going to his father, but he quickly quashed the idea. There was no way the king would listen to anything he had to say. Not after all his failed attempts at battle plans previously. Besides, what evidence did Arden even have? None. He had nothing.

But he was now even more certain that Sarah was lying. Her voice was far from steady when the maid had brought out the orb; she most certainly knew where it came from. The true question was this: what was the princess hiding?

Arden knew he would have to go around Karen with any plans he might make in the future. Her sudden change of heart towards her sister was not something Arden could really celebrate. Now he would need to be more subtle with plans using his lover's sister. There was absolutely no chance he was going to honor her request to keep the princess out of everything; the girl had thrown herself into the midst of the war, and there was nothing Arden could do about it except exploit her. This was war.

With a swirl of his long overcoat, he turned and left the study, slamming the door shut behind him. It was nearing supper time, and he didn't desire to miss another chance to catch Sarah in the act of lying, whether about her amnesia, or the crystal.

He needed that crystal, and he was going to get it, one way or another. If he was in possession of the crystal, he could possibly uncover where the it had come from with the help of some magicians, of course.

He could find some sort of tear in the Fae security through this crystal, he was certain. With information like that, it would be simple for the Elves to find a way to defeat the Fae once and for all. Who would mock him then? He would finally earn respect from his father, his brother, and the entire kingdom. He would finally surpass Agemos; the elves would love him most for saving them.

Perhaps he was getting too far ahead of himself, but then again, it didn't hurt to dream big. As he strode down the hallways, he imagined a future full of his glory. He would wear a crown of honor and presitge, ruling with the most beautiful woman in the entire universe at his side...

His fantasies were interrupted as he nearly ran into a passing servant. "Watch yourself!" he hissed. The elderly man drew back in surprise and muttered an apology before hurrying away. Rolling his eyes, Arden continued into the dining hall, where his brother and father were already seated.

"Karen and Sarah will not be joining us for the evening meal," Nissa informed him once Arden sat down, "As her highness isn't feeling quite up to making her way down here. The poor dear." She tsked and turned her attention back to her meal. Arden held back a snort of distaste and instead sat down silently. Agemos eyed him suspiciously, but said nothing, and the meal continued in silence.

**xXx**

As the sun set, and the crescent moon rose above the ocean, Jareth threw the crystal he was holding on the ground. He was frustrated, which was a rare occurrence when it came to his father. Usually, he never disagreed with Lysander, but now they were at odds.

After explaining the situation in its entirety to the High King, Jareth had asked for his father's advice on what to do. His father was quick to demand that the mortal princess be taken and brought back to the Underground.

_"Jareth, she needs to be observed. I also don't want her near you. If she is displaying the power you claim, she is a disaster waiting to happen."_

_Jareth shook his head. "She isn't a danger," he protested, "And the powers only manifest when I am in her presence. Besides, you know what would happen if we tried to take the girl. We cannot afford to open ourselves to an attack."_

_Lysander's brown eyes narrowed in the crystal. "I understand that, Jareth," he retorted, "But you and I both know that if Priam or even Menelaus got a hold of such power, the results would be catastrophic."_

_"I don't like this, Father," Jareth pressed, "No one knows about this except for you, King Robert, General Toby, myself, and the princess to an extent. I think we should keep it that way and not raise a large fuss. Drawing attention to ourselves is the last thing we need."_

_"I know you are trying to do what is best for everyone, son," Lysander replied softly, "But we need to take the occasional risk in order to get ahead. Wars aren't won by playing it safe."_

_"She's just a girl!"_

_"She's a danger!"_

Jareth shook his head. He and the High King rarely disagreed, but this argument became very heated very quickly. Finally, after the discussion had gone in circles for some time, they reached an agreement. Neither him nor Lysander was wholly satisfied, but there at least had been some progress made.

They had agreed to not take any action regarding the princess until after the 'Elite' had made it into the city through the catacombs (of which Jareth was well familiar with now). Then, during the inevitable chaos that would ensue, the girl would be located and brought back first to the camps and then to the Underground.

Jareth didn't the idea of forcing the princess to return to the Underground, and Lysander didn't like having to wait. However, it was the only idea both father and son could agree upon to an acceptable extent. As long as the secret was kept, there were little risks in this plan.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

**xXx**

_Make sure to leave me a review! I love hearing what you all thought of this chapter and of this story in general!_


	17. Chapter 16

_A/N: Whew! All right, so here's the next chapter. Things are finally starting to get more action-y, which makes me super glad. Action is the best!_

_Thanks again to everyone who read, favorited, subscribed, and reviewed the last chapter. You readers are just so wonderful!_

**xXx**

Jareth nearly missed breakfast the next morning. By the time he had collapsed into bed the night before, it was well into the evening, and he was too exhausted to wake up at his usual time, which was sunrise. It took quite a lot of effort to drag his body out of the comfort of his sheets and by the time he was fully dressed, the morning meal was nearly over.

The dining tables were practically empty when Jareth sat down with his daily ration of porridge. It didn't really matter to the Goblin King, as he knew most of the soldiers were hard at work preparing for the attack in three weeks. So, when Toby took a seat on the bench across from him, it surprised Jareth.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful of food. Ten years on the war front hadn't affected his table manners entirely. "Shouldn't you be attending to your battalion?"

Toby shook his head. "I already did, your highness," he replied with a grin, "And I will be returning to my men as soon as I am finished here. I wanted to ask you about what I told you last night."

Glancing around, Jareth looked to see if there was anyone near who would pick up on their conversation. The tent was empty and most likely as secure a place as any.

"Go on," he urged, "What is it?"

Also glancing around, Toby leaned forward. "I wanted to know if you had found anything else about what I told you about."

"I spoke with the High King after you left," Jareth whispered, leaning across the table, "He and I uncovered some information that you and your father do not have. It is imperative that this entire situation remains completely under wraps. Countless lives are at risk if this gets to the wrong ears on either side of the war. You have not told anyone else, have you?"

"Told anyone what?" a voice suddenly inquired from behind Jareth. He started, and knocked his bowl almost entirely off the table. Toby quickly reached across and caught it before it could tumble off and hit the ground.

"King Menelaus," Jareth replied in an overly cordial tone, "Good morning." Both Menelaus and Toby could tell his smile was forced, and both chose to ignore it.

"Good morning Jareth," Menelaus greeted, not bothering to use the Goblin King's title, "Now what was it I heard you and General Tobias speaking of?" He sat himself down next to Jareth.

"Actually it's-" Toby began, and for a half a second, Jareth thought the boy might tell the king everything. However, as the prince continued, Jareth knew he had nothing to worry about.

"It's just Toby," the general corrected, "My parents thought Tobias was too flamboyant a name for the ruler of a country such as ours."

Menelaus froze for a moment, as though he wasn't sure what to do with that information. "My apologies," he said at length, "I was not aware."

"It's no matter," Toby grinned, standing up from his seat, "But now, if your majesties would excuse me. I have troops that need attending. Good day." He turned and left without so much as a glance back before either king could say a word.

Internally, Jareth smirked. The lad was smarter than he thought. Getting out of there was the best thing to do, rather than stay and try to help Jareth avoid Menelaus's questioning. With a sigh, he turned to face the Sprite King, knowing he was in for a most colorful conversation to say the least.

"So," Menelaus pressed, once Toby was completely out of sight. "Tell me what you were talking about with the young prince."

Jareth sighed. "Unfortunately, Menelaus," he replied, imitating the lack of respect the Sprite King had for him earlier, "That conversation is private." He turned back to his food, though it was almost completely gone.

Scoffing, Menelaus rested both elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. "Not for me it isn't," he retorted, "I am king. Remember, this was originally my war."

"Exactly," Jareth snorted, "And my father was generous enough to align himself with you and appoint me in his place here. You'd best understand that I am due the same respect he is. If I deem a conversation private, then it is private."

"Watch your mouth," Menelaus hissed, his expression quickly darkening and turning dangerous. He pointed a finger at Jareth. "While you may be High Heir, you still are to respect your elders. You are barely more than a child here. Do not forget your place."

Jareth opened his mouth to shoot something back at the Sprite King, but he quickly shut it. Standing up from his seat, he glared down at Menelaus. "You'd best leave your concerns to this war," Jareth ground out, his tone revealing only a fraction of the volumes of anger he felt, "And not to who holds the most power and owes the most respect to whom. Get your priorities straight, Sprite King. Then perhaps we may continue this discusison."

It took all Jareth's self-control to walk away from Menelaus. If he had stayed, Jareth wasn't certain he would be able to control his tongue. The Sprite King didn't usually get under his skin like he had that morning; Jareth wasn't sure why he had reacted the way he did. Maybe he was just tired of the disregard Menelaus constantly threw his way. It had been ten years since Jareth had begun aiding the war, and even after all he had done, he still was treated as a child by the Sprite King.

It didn't matter that every single soldier in the Fae camp respected him more than any other being in the Aboveground. It didn't matter that he had led and won more battles than any other king. It didn't matter that all the other kings referred to his final judgement before making any decisions. It didn't matter that all correspondence with the High King went through him. Menelaus still disregarded his position and authority.

Jareth had worked tirelessly to prove himself over the years, and he had gained a formidable reputation amongst the soldiers and kings. It was frustrating then, to have all of his effort disregarded with one word of disrespect. Perhaps it was slightly immature of him, but Jareth had been forced to grow up quickly in the Aboveground, and certain attributes hadn't caught up with others.

On his way to meet the team of men he was leading through the catacombs, Jareth found himself looking back at how he had gotten to where he was now...

_"I'm in the throne room!" Jareth called from his throne. He was sprawled out, with one leg slung over the arm of the curved chair, and an arm hung over the back. He was nonchalantly sliding a crystal across one hand while holding up a book in the other. No children had been wished away that day, and he was enjoying his day off from some of his duties as Goblin King._

_The High Heir was surrounded by dozens of giggling, mischievous goblins, some hanging from the chandelier, others bouncing along the shelves of the throne room walls, and still others chasing one another around the throne in which he was seated._

_Through the doorway, the High King Lysander walked into the throne room. "You look comfortable," he commented, not bothering on formalities. There wasn't a code of etiquette in the Labyrinth, as most creatures were either too primitive or immature to consistently utilize it. Jareth looked up from his book and flashed his father a grin._

_"Hello Father," he greeted, snapping the book shut and casually flinging it across the room, where it landed in perfect position on a high shelf. Jareth mentally congratulated himself on his excellent aim and then turned his attention back to Lysander. "What brings you to my Labyrinth?"_

_Lysander crossed his arms. "I see you haven't changed much of the decor," he observed instead of answering Jareth's question, "I suppose I'll have to sit on the floor."_

_Letting out a laugh, Jareth brought his leg back from over the edge of his throne. "Did you want to sit here?" he asked, half-seriously. Lysander shook his head._

_"I'll stand," he replied, "I have an idea of what's been on that throne, and it isn't clean. These goblins are hardly sanitary."_

_Jareth laughed again and sprawled himself out once more. "Suit yourself," he drawled, "I find this throne to be quite comfortable and completely clean. Now, did you actually have a reason to come here, or did you just want a visit with your favorite son?"_

_With a small chuckle, Lysander uncrossed his arms. "You are also my least favorite," he retorted, "That's the drawback of being an only child."_

_"As if I could ever forget."_

_"I've deployed five hundred soldiers to the Elven kingdom," Lysander suddenly informed Jareth, changing the subject swiftly._

_"A wise move to end this war quickly, but why are you telling me this, Father?" Jareth asked, pulling a stray goblin off his shoulders and carelessly tossing it towards one of the shelves with a laugh. It landed on another goblin, and the two burst into hysterical laughter, which rippled through the rest of the goblins terrorizing the throne room._

_Lysander winced as a goblin tumbled against his leg. He had forgotten how chaotic and mentally taxing it was to be among goblins. Looking up to his son, he took a deep breath. "I am telling you this, my son," he answered slowly, "Because I want you to go along with them and lead the war in my stead."_

_Eyes widening, Jareth stood up quickly. "Me?" he exclaimed, "You don't mean that!" The goblins all fell silent as their king took in the news. He was obviously unnerved by his father's request._

_"I mean it very much," Lysander replied quickly, holding up both hands in a defensive gesture and walking towards Jareth, "I have faith that you will lead successfully in my stead. Too much is happening in the Underground for me to leave at this time. I need someone I can trust on the battlefield. There is no one I trust more than you."_

_"But, but," Jareth stuttered, his shock leaving him dazed, "I have no experience whatsoever. How can you possibly trust a novice like myself?"_

_The High King frowned. "You're my son," he answered, as if it were the simplest thing in the world, "How could I not trust you?"_

_"I don't suppose I have much of a choice, do I?" Jareth asked quietly, his expression growing very somber._

_Lysander clapped his son's shoulder and gave him a shake. "This isn't a punishment, Jareth," he replied seriously, "Please don't view it as such."_

_Shaking his head, Jareth sank to the ground at the foot of his throne. "No one will take me seriously," he said softly, "Not at my age. You know that, don't you?"_

_With a sigh, Lysander sat himself next to his son. "Then you will have to prove your worth and earn the respect you need."_

Those words were what initially sparked Jareth's quest for perfection. After arriving in the Aboveground, Jareth strove to go above and beyond expectations, resulting in the eventual respect he now held among most of the camp.

But as the years dragged on, Jareth could feel parts of himself slipping. His wish granting, for one, was something he missed. He hardly laughed any more, which was saying a lot, as the role of Goblin King was a gleeful one. Jareth could tell he had become more and more of an adult. For the most part, it was a good thing. It wouldn't do to have the High Heir acting like a child; there was enough of that behavior from Odysseus. But there were some times when Jareth wished he would have been able to relax and be free like he once did.

**xXx**

Two weeks passed since Sarah had returned from her unfortunate 'accident', and Karen had been nothing but kind to her. It was eating Sarah alive inside. Every time Karen greeted her with a warm hug and a gentle smile, she had to fight the urge to cringe. She didn't deserve her sister's kindness when she was lying to her face. It felt so wrong.

But it had to be done. She had to keep up with the 'amnesia' act in order to preserve her own life as well as the lives of others.

It was late in the evening. Supper had been hours ago and the family had retired not long after. However, Sarah found herself unable to sleep. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that was tugging in the back of her mind, and her mind was plagued with memories of the past. After tossing and turning for far too long, she finally threw her legs over the side of her bed and sat up in frustration.

_"Sarah, quickly now!" Karen whispered, glancing nervously over her shoulder. It was after midnight, and Sarah was very groggy from being woken up only five minutes ago. Sitting on her bed, she was vaguely aware of her sister lacing up her boots for her, and she mumbled out, "What's going on?"_

_"We're going on an adventure," Karen answered, finishing lacing her shoes and standing up, "You and I are going to the Elf kingdom!"_

_"But I thought we were going to live with the Sprites and the Fae," Sarah protested, her words jumbling together due to her sleepiness, "Why are we living with the Elves now?"_

_Karen sighed and pulled Sarah to her feet. "Because," she declared, "I will be happier there. And you will too. I talked to you about this yesterday, remember?"_

_"I didn't think you were serious."_

_Shaking her head, Karen led her sister quietly out of the room. "You seven-year-olds don't take anything seriously, do you?" she remarked sarcastically, "Now, stay completely quiet. Like hide-and-seek. We don't want to get caught."_

_Quashing the desire to ask why, Sarah obeyed her sister and followed her suit, tip-toeing down the halls and slipping out the kitchen door. Karen hurriedly led them through the courtyard, and ushered Sarah into a waiting carriage. "Go," Karen whispered to the cloaked driver as she climbed into the coach and carefully shut the door._

_Sarah was too tired to pay attention to much else that night. She remembered half-walking and being partially carried up a gangplank and onto some ship. She vaguely recalled tumbling onto a prickly mattress, but after that, she didn't know what happened. _

_When she woke up the next morning and stepped out of the dark, stuffy cabin, the ship they had boarded that night was now far out into the sea. There was no sight of land, and it scared Sarah._

_"Where's Karen," she asked a nearby deckhand, who was winding up a large rope. He looked up and frowned. _

_"You mean the princess?" he asked. When Sarah nodded, he answered, "I dunno. Most likely with the prince. They'd be that way." He jerked his thumb to the left, but before Sarah could figure out what that meant, Karen's voice sounded from behind._

_"I want you to meet someone, Sarah," she called, "My future husband, Prince Arden, of the Elves!"_

Reaching between her mattress and bed frame, Sarah carefully pulled out the crystal the Goblin King had given her, wanting to draw her mind away from the past. She held it up and twisted her wrist, looking for the moving images that would float across the orb. When the king had told her that her dreams would appear, she assumed that he meant her aspirations and goals. However, to her surprise, her actual dreams appeared; the images that came to her mind while she slept. Most of the time only foggy figures and bright colors would swirl around in the crystal. They were absolutely beautiful.

Laying down on her back, Sarah held the crystal above her and watched as strands of green, yellow, orange, blue, and pink twisted and writhed in the foggy glass. Her eyes were finally growing heavy, and Sarah let her arm drop beside her head. Just as she was drifting off to sleep however, the crystal suddenly grew warm in her hand, jerking Sarah into alertness. Jareth was trying to contact her!

Sitting up, Sarah quickly snatched the crystal up in both hands and with little thought of the consequences, whispered into the ball. "Falar." The Goblin King's face swam into view, and Sarah could tell by his expression that he was worried.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, her voice cracking due to not using it for the last few hours, "What's wrong?" Something had to be wrong if the Goblin King was trying to contact her, especially at this hour.

Jareth's eyes shifted to the left and to the right before he answered. "There is a slight possibility that you may be in danger, Princess," he answered in a whisper, "I need you to listen very carefully to all I have to say."

**xXx**

Rising from his bed, Arden quickly dressed by the light of the moon, making sure not to wake Karen who was sleeping beside him. She had since forgiven him for suspecting Sarah a liar. Arden hadn't bothered telling her that he was even more certain that his assumption was true, however. He was just glad his beloved was speaking to him again.

The prince hadn't fallen asleep that evening; he didn't want to risk his mission by losing track of time. This plan hinged on so much proper timing that it would have been completely idiotic to remain abstracted. He could sleep when the war was over.

Once he was fully dressed, the elf prince quietly exited his room, shutting the door carefully behind him. It felt as though he was a child again; sneaking out of his bedroom to get into some sort of mischief. Only this time, he was planning far more than mischief.

He was greeted in the hall by two incredibly tall elves dressed entirely in black. They silently nodded in greeting, and the trio quickly hurried down the corridor. Stopping at a door, Arden reached to open it, when it was wrenched open from inside. Arden's eyes locked with the wide eyes of Sarah.

Quickly, one of the two elves behind the prince took hold of the princess and dragged her back into her room, clapping a hand over her mouth to hold back her shriek. She kicked and thrashed, but the elf was at least twice her size and had no trouble holding her back. The second elf pulled out a handkerchief and, as soon as the first released Sararh's mouth, held it tightly over her mouth and nose.

Slowly, the princess's movements became lethargic, and her eyelids began to flutter. After a moment, she became limp in the elf's arms. Arden smirked.

"Tie her up," he ordered, turning around and exiting the room, "Tightly. And be sure to gag her. We don't need any unnecessary noise where we're going."

**xXx**

_Don't forget to leave a review! :)_


	18. Chapter 17

_A/N: Yay! Another chapter. I've had this one partially written for a very long time now, and actually ended up having to rewrite quite a bit of it to fit with the current plot. _

_Thanks so much to everyone who subscribed to, favorited and reviewed this story. Seriously, you guys. You are just so amazing. :)_

**xXx**

Laying in the bed of a wagon, Sarah's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was riding somewhere, and the road was bumpy. She could just barely make out part of the Elven city as little more than a lump in the dark distance. When Sarah's mind finally swam back into complete consciousness and she became aware of her surroundings, she was fuming. Not only at Arden and his two goons, but also at herself. She thought she had heard something outside her door that evening, and was in the process of looking to see what the sound was when she was taken. If she hadn't taken so long to react to the intruders when she opened her door, she would have been had a much better chance of eluding the prince.

_"So, you're saying that the slightly insane priestess at my father's court says that I have the power to defeat even death?" she asked, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. Jareth had just spent the last five minutes explaining to her about a vision and how it most likely linked to her._

_"Exactly," he replied, "And that means that you would be desired by either side of the war to be used as the ultimate weapon."_

_Sarah frowned. "Then don't tell anyone," she said, still trying to keep her voice low, "It's as simple as that. Besides, we really don't know if this is true."_

_Shaking his head, Jareth made a face. "It seems rather true to me. I don't see how you can't see that. And it isn't that simple," he countered, "Menelaus is asking questions and growing suspicious. That's why I'm warning you now. Neither he nor Priam must be allowed to get their hands on you. Keep your ears and eyes open for anything that seems out of the ordinary and avoid interacting with very many people if possible. This is very important, because raising suspicio-"_

_"Wait," Sarah stopped him, "You suspect your own ally to be a threat?"_

_Jareth sighed. "Unfortunately yes," he replied grimly, "Menelaus has a way of undermining me and disregarding what I say as law. At this point in time, he is just as much a threat as Priam is to your safety. You must be on your guard. Don't attract too much attention to yourself and remain alert."_

_"I understand," Sarah assured him, "I'll do my best."_

And now she had completely failed at doing her best. She stomped her feet against the bottom of the wagon in frustration. How could she have been so careless?

Suddenly, the wagon came to a halt, and Sarah tried to push her body up to see where they had stopped. Unfortunately, her tied up state kept her from getting very far, and she fell back against the floor of the wagon with a thump.

A strong hand grasped her by the back of her dress and hauled her to a standing position. Her vision swam, and she allowed herself to be picked up and swung down over the edge of the wagon. Once she was placed firmly on the sand, Sarah struggled to regain equilibrium.

After she managed to steady herself, Sarah looked ahead of the wagon, and let out a muffled noise of surprise. Right in front of the wagon, a line of two dozen Fae soldiers stood, with a figure that looked like a king standing in the front.

For a split second, Sarah hoped that the figure was Jareth, but then realized that the stranger was too short and not slim enough to be the Goblin King.

Sarah felt a push from behind, and Arden appeared to her left. "Come along then," he said, his voice sickeningly cheerful, "Let us go and meet the infamous King Menelaus."

Sarah had never been more shocked (and if she was completely honest, scared) in her entire life. Roughly, Prince Arden pushed her to the small line of Fae soldiers, and she stumbled on the loose sand. Catching herself before she hit the ground, Sarah furiously blinked back tears, wishing her hands weren't bound behind her back.

One of the Fae soldiers stepped forward and took Sarah by the arm, his grip the most gentle contact Sarah had experienced all night. However, his grip was firm and cold nonetheless. He reached around with one had and removed the gag, which made Sarah cough and flex her jaw in relief. The king, who Sarah knew now was Menelaus, stepped forward as well, and looked her in the eyes.

"What is your name?" he asked coldly, his hands clasped together behind his back. Sarah blinked, and Arden spoke up before she could say anything.

"This is the younger sister, Sarah," the Elf prince answered for her, "Do you doubt my word?"

King Menelaus let out a short, sarcastic bark of laughter. "Yes," he shot out, not breaking eye contact with Sarah, "I do indeed. Now, girl, tell me your name."

Sarah bristled at being referred to as 'girl', and she put on her haughtiest demeanor as she answered, "My name is Princess Sarah of Williams, daughter to King Robert the First."

Menelaus's face broke into a grin that set Sarah on edge. Had he finally figured out what the Goblin King had warned her about? "Excellent," he whispered, "How very excellent." He looked over to Arden for the first time that night, and said in a louder voice, "I accept your agreement. I'll take the girl, and we shall leave your land."

Sarah's jaw dropped, and she tried to turn around to see Arden's face. However, the soldier holding her arms did not allow her to do so, and she was forced to focus on what he was saying, rather than his expression.

"You have a month to pull out your troops," Arden stated tonelessly, "I give my word my soldiers will not attack." Sarah was frustrated that she could not make out what the Elf prince was feeling, and she shifted once more to try and gain a peek. No such luck.

The Fae king nodded in agreement. "Agreed," he curtly replied, "Now, move out." The Fae entourage turned about, and the soldier that had taken hold of Sarah spoke up for the first time that night.

"Come on then." he said gruffly, "Let's go before the elves change their minds." He turned her around swiftly to untie the ropes that held her hands together. Spinning her back around, the stranger tied her hands back together in the front and began to lead her away. It was then that all that had happened finally began to register in Sarah's mind. She was being taken by the Fae.

What was going to happen to her? Menelaus had obviously discovered enough to want her over her sister. Did he really mean to pull all the Fae troops? Did Jareth even know anything about this? Sarah doubted he did, otherwise he would have warned her, and possibly been there to take her from Arden.

The Fae soldier pulled her at such a fast pace that Sarah had to run to keep up with him. The trek was not a long one, but by the time they had reached the camps, the strange Fae was practically dragging Sarah, who was beyond exhausted.

Finally, she found herself standing in front of a small tent. The Fae untied her bonds and Sarah rubbed her sore wrists. She was sure to have bruising the next day, but that was the least of her worries at the moment.

Faintly, she could hear the other Fae that had been standing around King Menelaus make their way back to their tents. She could even hear a few of them grumbling about the "waste of a perfectly good night's sleep." Sarah shook her head, ignoring the rest of whatever the soldier may have been saying. Instead, she drew her attention to the small tent in front of her.

"I get my own tent?" she asked incredulously. That was a bit of a shock. She thought she was going to be treated as a prisoner, locked up somewhere where she couldn't escape or assigned half a dozen guards to keep her from leaving. Apparently these Fae were trusting her not to run away.

"I'll send for one of the sentinels to stand outside for the rest of the night," the stranger informed her abruptly, "So don't even think about trying to escape."

Or maybe they weren't so trusting after all.

"You should get some rest." the stranger continued, "You have an audience with King Menelaus in the afternoon, and you'll want to be alert." Sarah blanched, but nodded quietly, too tired to respond with her usual fire.

"I'll try," she mumbled, "Thank you." She looked at the ground, and then back up at the stranger, asking, "Can you help me?"

The Fae shifted from one foot to the other, and for a moment, Sarah thought he looked truly uncomfortable and nervous. Leaning in close, he whispered, "I'm not really supposed to grant you any favors, however I do not agree with the way you are being treated. What do you need?"

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. He was going to help her! "I need you to find someone here at this camp," she said quietly, "Or at least get a message to him. Do you know the Goblin King very well?"

Jaw dropping, the Fae groped for words for a moment. "King Jareth is my cousin," he finally replied, his voice cracking slightly, "What do you want with him?"

"I need to talk to him," Sarah whispered hastily, "If you are indeed his cousin, you will easily be able to speak with him, yes?" When the Fae nodded, she continued. "Please tell him where I am, and that I need to speak with him. Please. It is imperative that he gets to me before King Menelaus."

The Fae looked suspiciously at her. "Why do you need to speak with the Goblin King?" he asked skeptically, his shock at her knowing who he was wearing off, "What do you have planned?"

Sarah looked distressed as she absently rubbed her wrists. "I-I can't tell you," she said, "Just please, ask him to find me. The sooner the better. Please..."

"My name is Odysseus," the Fae answered for her, "King Odysseus. I will do what you ask of me, but do not expect special treatment because you know who my cousin is. Pleading a higher power's name will get you nowhere."

Nodding, Sarah closed her eyes. "Thank you, King Odysseus," she breathed, grateful to find help, "This means more than you know."

Odysseus gave her a strained smile. "Indeed," was his curt reply, "Goodnight, Princess Sarah." He turned on his heel and began to walk away. "Perhaps I can convince my cousin to divulge why this is so important." he added over his shoulder as he walked away. Sarah nodded again and waited till he was out of sight before turning around and entering her tent.

The tent's interior was sparse, but it was more than Sarah had expected. She had envisioned sleeping outside next to a fire with nothing but a blanket tossed on the dirt for protection from the elements. Instead she had been given a tent of her own, complete with a fully bedded cot. Stepping out of her shoes, she collapsed on the makeshift bed, asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

**xXx**

Meanwhile, Odysseus was in shock. The war was over, just like that. He could hardly believe that Menelaus had settled on the mortal's younger sister; there wasn't anything extraordinary about her as far as he could tell. But the King was satisfied with the treaty. Why right did Odysseus have to question peace, no matter how strange the cause?

But how did the princess know who his cousin was? What were her connections to him? And what was it that she couldn't tell him? It all sounded very suspicious to Odysseus. He shook his head as he walked. He was planning on telling Jareth what the princess told him, but he was not going to wake him. If his cousin was already awake, he would speak to him that evening.

However, as Odysseus neared his cousin's tent, he could see that it was dark inside. Jareth was most definitely sleeping; he _had_ spent the entire day training with the Elite, and was bound to be exhausted. Besides, it was well past midnight, and far too late for any sane being to be awake. With a sigh, Odysseus left for his own tent farther down the line of tents. Jareth needed rest, and Odysseus wasn't going to deprive him of it. He could wait to relay the Princess's message in the morning, as long as he did so early. She wasn't meeting with Menelaus until the afternoon anyway.

**xXx**

The sun rose cheerily the next day, bright and warm, and once Sarah awoke and remembered where she was, she scowled. Why couldn't the weather match her situation and mood? She would rather have the sky be dark and the clouds pouring out rain.

Sitting up on her cot, she stretched her arms above her head and arched her back in an attempt to work out all the kinks that had formed during the night. She was far too used to her soft mattress back in the castle, and the cot barely offered a fraction of the support Sarah was accustomed to.

Throwing her legs over the side of the cot, Sarah slipped her feet into her shoes. It didn't hurt to be prepared to walk across the camp; she didn't know if she was going to be snatched from her tent in the blink of an eye or not. With a sigh, she stood up and stretched some more, slightly sore from the position she had slept in. _What's going to happen to me now?_ she wondered, pacing the length of her tent.

Now that the war was "over", the Fae would undoubtably return to the Underground. But would Sarah be going with them? Would she return with Menelaus? Or perhaps with another Fae? She knew she needed to somehow find the Goblin King. As far as she knew, Menelaus still only suspected that she was more than a mortal, and if she could find King Jareth, he would be able to protect her. He was the High Heir, after all.

She hoped dearly that the King (who was _not_ a soldier, like she had originally thought) named Odysseus had found the Goblin King. If she could find King Jareth, she could think more clearly and they could both figure out what exactly was going on.

Sarah kept pushing the thought of Toby out of her mind, even though it was maddening knowing he was there in the camp right in that moment. Getting distracted was not a risk she could afford to take, and spending time thinking about her younger brother was definitely a distraction until she reached the Goblin King.

She continued to pace as she pondered her future and the different scenarios that could happen. So lost in thought was she, that she didn't notice the figure watching her from the entrance to her tent. It wasn't until the figure spoke up that Sarah realized she wasn't alone.

"You keep that up and you'll have dug a trench in the middle of this tent," a gravelly voice said, causing Sarah to jump and stop pacing with a gasp. Whirling around, her eyes landed on a short, wrinkly, human-like creature.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, trying to slow her heartbeat to a more normal rate. When the stranger raised an eyebrow, she waved her hand and pressed it to her face. "You startled me."

"Wasn't my intention," the stranger replied, "I just came to get you so you can meet the king."

"Right now?" Sarah asked, hoping the answer was no. She hadn't heard from the Goblin King, or King Odysseus, and she wasn't supposed to meet King Menelaus until the afternoon. She needed more time!

The stranger, misinterpreting her distress, shook his head. "You gots five minutes to freshen up."

Soon she was walking through the camp, the stranger a half a step in front of her. "Forgive my curiosity," she spoke up at length, "But, what are you? Are you a dwarf?"

"Yeah, I'm a dwarf," he replied gruffly, "Name's Hoggle, and don't forget it! Though, you're likely to do that anyway; everyone does."

"Hoggle," Sarah tested the name, "I think I can remember that. Well, thank you for escorting me to King Menelaus, Hoggle." If she wanted to survive with little harm, it wouldn't do to be rude to anyone she encountered.

"Don't mention it," Hoggle grumbled, obviously embarrassed by her kindness, "S'not like I'm doing anything special." He shrugged and continued on his way, pointedly ignoring Sarah's attempts to make any further conversation.

**xXx**

Meanwhile, across the camp, Odysseus had found his cousin in the training ring, where he had been a boxing bag for an hour now. Sweat was dripping off his nose, and he had become so hot that he had discarded his shirt halfway through.

"Jareth, you have to listen to me!" he pleaded, catching hold of one of his cousin's shoulders before he could turn back to training, "What I have to say is important.

With an exaggerated sigh and a roll of his eyes, Jareth nodded. "Well let's have it then." he huffed, crossing his arms, obviously impatient to return to his previous activities.

"I have a message," began Odysseus, "Last night, when Menelaus sent some of us out to discuss peace with the Elf prince-"

At this, Jareth grew even more irritated. "Fantasies are far too foolish at this hour. I hardly find this behavior amusing, Odysseus," he interrupted, "Unless you have something of true importance to say, I suggest you leave. Immediately."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Odysseus pressed, shaking his head, "Let me finish! I don't understand why you think this unimportant. I have a message from the mortal princess."

"The mortal princess?"

Now it was Odysseus's turn to grow irritated. "Yes, the mortal princess," he snapped, "The one Prince Arden traded in exchange for us to leave."

Again Jareth interrupted his cousin. "I had no knowledge of this," he said abruptly, "Menelaus took the princess Karen?"

"Not Karen," Odysseus corrected, "He took her sister. We have been given a month to pull out of Elven country in return for her. You knew about this." He stopped talking, and frowned. "Didn't you?"

_Her sister._

Menelaus had the princess Sarah. Jareth was suddenly filled with a mix of dread and rage. The king had found out about her certain powers. If she was with Menelaus, Jareth had no doubt Sarah would not be safe. Especially since the king had just proven himself to be an treasonous, underhanded liar capable of much harm.

"I just spoke with the king an hour ago," Jareth ground out, "He wanted to go over our battle plan for the attack in five days. He has no intention of leaving without the Princess Karen." Barely containing a growl, he conjured up a crystal and began twirling it in his hands in an attempt to keep his temper under control. "If what you say is indeed true, then he has much to reckon with."

Odysseus could hardly keep his jaw from dropping in shock. "I knew there was something strange about the whole bargain," he said at length, finding his voice, "The girl doesn't match the beauty of her sister and Menelaus isn't one to settle for less." He trailed off, glancing away, but then snapped his eyes back to his cousin.

"Jareth!" he exclaimed, shaking the Goblin King's shoulders, "The princess told me to find you. She said it was important that you found her before Menelaus. He's supposed to be talking with her this afternoon. If there is something special about this girl, you _know_ that Menelaus will do all he can to extract that information from her."

"Out of my way." was all Odysseus heard before he was shoved aside. Jareth hurled the crystal to the ground where it shattered, forcing Odysseus to step further away to avoid the magic. The air around his cousin crackled and sparked, and Odysseus knew he was beyond furious. Using one hand, Jareth leaped over the fence forming the training ring and began his trek to Menelaus's tent, rage growing with each step he took.

Fae, humans and dwarves alike scrambled to get out of the Goblin King's path. The air grew thick around him and his eyes flashed as he drew nearer to his destination. He could hear nothing coming from the tent; perhaps the king was asleep. Jareth half hoped he was, as he would enjoy violently waking the treasonous worm up from his rest.

Finally reaching Menelaus's enormous tent, Jareth violently ripped the flap back and let out a loud roar of rage.

The tent was completely empty.

Furniture was tipped over, and the entire tent was in disarray. The ground was even completely disturbed, deep footprints marking each step the Fae king must have stomped. Papers were scattered across the ground as well, and there were obvious signs of a struggle. Menelaus had already gotten to the Princess. Now neither Menelaus nor the girl Sarah occupied the tent, and Jareth had no idea where they could be.

One thing was for certain, however. Whenever Jareth found Menelaus, there would be hell to pay.

**xXx**

_A/N: Note to self. Never make Jareth angry. You won't like him when he's angry. But he's way fun to write when he's furious. Tell me what you thought of angry Jareth and everything else that happened in this chapter (Hoggle!) in a review!_


	19. Chapter 18

_A/N: *peeks out from behind enormous curtain* H-hello everyone. I'm still here. Special thanks to everyone who didn't give up on this story. I haven't given up either; I've just been plagued with business and writer's block, and then business again. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I couldn't get the words to flow properly, so I hope you enjoy it. _

**xXx**

Hoggle stopped Sarah in front of a rather large tent (in comparison to all the other tents) and swept an arm towards the opening. "His majesty King Menelaus's tent," he grunted, "Now get going."

"Thank you, Hoggle," Sarah replied with a small smile, putting emphasis on his name.

Sarah wanted to be anywhere but there. She wanted it so badly, she thought she might vomit. What was Menelaus going to do to or with her? Dread building up in her stomach, Sarah slowly pulled the tent flap back and stepped inside.

The king, who was lounging on a large chair (Sarah marveled at how he managed to acquire such a piece of furniture in wartime), looked up when she entered.

"Ahh," he greeted, rising and clapping his hands together, "Princess Sarah. It is a delight to have you here with us." Sarah frowned for a moment, before she snapped on an obviously false smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," she replied, curtseying with more flourish than necessary. She couldn't show Menelaus how terrified she was, so she was dishing out heavily on the sarcasm. Hopefully he would interpret it as anger instead of fear.

He did. His grin faded, and he crossed his arms. "Very well," he said, his voice losing much of its lightness, "Enough with formalities. I assume you know why I brought you here."

_Time to play dumb._

"I'm afraid I don't, your majesty," Sarah replied innocently, "I was hoping you would enlighten me."

Suddenly, Menelaus's face grew dark as he uncrossed his arms. "Do not toy with me," he hissed, leaning in so his face was inches from Sarah's, "You know very well why you were brought here."

Sarah blinked. His voice was foreboding and frightening, and she struggled not to react. "If I know, why are you asking me?" she asked, trying to keep a hint of fear from creeping into her tone.

"Courtesy," Menelaus replied curtly, pulling out of Sarah's personal space, "Courtesy and respect. You are, after all, a princess."

"Have you brought me here for negotiations then?" Sarah inquired, trying to stall. Perhaps Odysseus had already spoken to King Jareth. If she kept the conversation going long enough, she could wait until he found her-

That was ridiculous. The Goblin King was High Heir, the ultimate authority. Why was she wasting time speaking to King Menelaus? If she was to act like a haughty princess, she needed to act the part entirely.

Before the Sprite king could answer her inquiry, she spoke up. "I refuse to negotiate with persons other than the Goblin King, High Heir," she stated firmly, hoping she sounded authoritative enough, "He is the only one I am obliged to submit to. You have no power over me."

For a moment, Sarah was afraid Menelaus would strike her. Her words had obviously struck a sore spot in the king. The cords in his neck tightened and she could see a vein in his forehead protruding slightly. However, instead of raising a hand against her, the king turned around and took several heavy steps away from her, his boots leaving deep marks in the ground. Internally, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. Her relief was cut short, though, when he turned around with an expression that was borderline manic.

"Is that so?" he asked in a voice too quiet to bode well for her. Holding her ground, Sarah nodded.

"It is."

"It is fortunate, then," Menelaus smirked, "That I have not brought you here to discuss negotiations. In fact, that is the furthest thing from my mind, little princess. Your purpose here is two-fold, and you will aid me whether you consent or not."

Sarah's mask slipped for half a moment, and she struggled to maintain her disinterested and haughty composure. "There you are incorrect, Sprite King," she replied, her voice miraculously unwavering, "Nothing you do or say can convince me to aid you in any schemes you have concocted. I will conduct any and all matters with the High Heir only."

This time, the mention of Jareth caused Menelaus to turn and furiously overturn the chair he was previously seated in. "You will cease to mention the Goblin King from this moment on!" he roared, whirling back around to meet Sarah's terrified gaze, "I am the authority! I demand respect!" He gripped Sarah's arm tightly, and she winced from the pressure. It took self-control she didn't know she had to calmly look him in the eye. He was obviously not sane, and the wild look in his eyes only confirmed it.

"Please release me," she ground out, tugging on her arm in attempt to get out of his grip. He did, slowly releasing each finger and then finally pulling his hand back. Sarah backed away slowly, not wanting to startle the king into doing anything more violent yet also wanting to put as much distance as she could between them.

"I suppose I should to tell you what it is you shall be doing for me, as you seem to be so willing to aid me." He remarked sarcastically. Sarah flinched as the back of her legs hit the desk, and she was unable to do anything but nod in response to the king's statement.

Ignoring her discomfort, Menelaus remained standing in the same place, clasping his hands behind his back once more. "I have brought you here for two purposes," he began, "The first being the most obvious. You and I both know that Prince Arden plans on launching an attack on our camp. He would not have traded you otherwise. With you here at our camp, it child's play to concoct a story depicting your kidnapping, which as we both know warrants a direct attack on our camps.""

"You plan on ambushing the elves," Sarah concluded after a moment of silence, taking hold of the desk's edge and holding it so tightly her knuckles turned white, "But that will only happen if King Priam gives the order to launch the attack. You are counting on Arden's ability to convince his father that an attack is necessary."

Menelaus shrugged. "Obviously," he snipped, "It will happen. But that is trivial. There is another reason I brought you here." He began to pace the ground, and Sarah grew uneasy. The king was obviously unstable, and she didn't like watching him move. Slowly, she pushed herself away from the desk, not wanting to be cornered against it.

"Rumors have been spreading around my camp like wildfire," the king continued, oblivious to Sarah's unease, "Especially ones revolving around the house of William. Perhaps you could give me some information regarding your family."

Sarah's blood ran cold. Menelaus knew about the prophecy. There was no denying he had at least some idea of it. Breathing deeply, Sarah tried to stall. If only she could find the Goblin King. He would know what to do. But Sarah was on her own; she had to rely on her own wits if she wanted to make it out of the tent without giving the Sprite King too much information.

"What do you know about your brother, Toby?" Menelaus asked, too impatient to wait for Sarah to reply, "Specifically, how... talented he is."

"I hardly know anything about my little brother," Sarah answered, relieved that she wasn't a suspect, but terrified that the king was keeping an eye on her brother, "I haven't seen him since he was very young."

Menelaus grunted. "Indeed," was his brief response. He moved to sit upon the desk and lean on his hands. "Well, you aren't completely useless to me, despite knowing absolutely nothing about your family."

Narrowing her eyes, Sarah snapped, "I will not be a tool for you! I am not a spy you can simply pump for information."

That was obviously the wrong thing to say, because suddenly Menelaus was off the desk and inches away from her face. His hands gripped her shoulders so tightly that they quickly began to go numb, and Sarah was certain there would be finger-shaped bruises mottling her shoulders in seconds.

"You are in my custody, and you will be whatever I want you to be," the king hissed, spit flying from his mouth in his fury, "If I say you are a spy, then you will be a spy. If I decide to send you back to those elves, then that's what will happen. I tell you to dig trenches, you bloody well will dig trenches. You have no rights here, little princess. You are nothing more than the skills you possess."

If Menelaus hadn't been holding her so tightly, Sarah would have been shaking like a leaf. The Sprite King was absolutely _terrifying_. She quickly dropped her face, unable to look the king in the eyes. They held so much hate and malice, she suddenly found herself wondering if she would even make it out of the tent in one piece.

Slowly, Menelaus released his grip on Sarah. His face still loomed over hers, and as Sarah turned her gaze up to meet his, she saw that his pupils were dilated to the point that his irises were hardly visible. He looked truly deranged. It was then that Sarah realized she had to stop counting on the Goblin King coming for her, and think of her own way out of this.

First off, she was going to have to play along with the Sprite King. If he snapped again, Sarah was certain she would suffer more than a few bruises. Carefully, she opened her mouth to inform him that she was willing to make a compromise.

However before she could say anything, Menelaus swung an arm towards her in a move that looked as though it would catch Sarah across her face. "You will be silent!" he shouted, his patience completely run dry.

Stumbling backwards, Sarah tried to dodge the king's flailing arms. She managed to stay clear from his swinging limbs, but tripped over her own feet and landed on her lower back. Her tailbone throbbed painfully, but she ignored the sensation in favor of scrambling backwards away from the advancing Sprite King.

As Sarah awkwardly pulled herself off the ground, she quickly decided to drop all plans of waiting for Jareth. Menelaus looked as though he was literally about to explode with pent-up rage. Backing up towards the tent's opening, she suddenly bolted out the flap. The only thing on her mind was getting as far away from Menelaus as she could, and as close to any possible allies as she could.

Faintly she could hear Menelaus hot on her heels, calling for someone to grab her. Sarah hoped she would find help before he or anyone else was able to catch her. As she tore through the camp, Sarah began to panic. She had no one to help her for certain in the camp except for two people. The odds of finding either of them were not in her favor at all.

Sarah had made it halfway across the camp when someone caught her by the lacings of her dress and tugged her backwards. Landing on her already bruised tailbone with a cry, Sarah turned frantically to see who had grabbed her.

It wasn't Menelaus. He was several yards behind her with two other soldiers, having been unable to keep up with her pace. Instead, by standing soldier had caught her and brought her to the sand. He was tall, almost as tall as Jareth, and he had piercing blue eyes that looked oddly familiar. They widened in shock as they took in who exactly Sarah was.

"S-Sarah?" The boy was decorated as a general, obviously not a foot soldier.

"Oh my gods," Sarah breathed, "Toby?" She quickly picked herself off the ground and choked back an unexpected sob. He was so grown up, standing before her, wearing his uniform and looking so much like an adult, like a king.

His eyes filled with tears as well, and before Sarah could even register what was happening, he had wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug. Sarah buried her head in his shoulder, trying to keep her sobs at bay. Finally, after ten years, she was able to see her little brother again.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he choked out, doing his best not to lose all composure, "We were always so worried about you, you know, not being able to hear any news from you." Toby pulled away, still holding onto her shoulders gently. "You look so grown-up."

Sarah laughed, a watery noise that hardly sounded human. "You're one to talk," she sniffed, smiling through her tears, "You're taller than me now."

Toby smiled sheepishly. "It's been a while," he admitted, "But how did you get here? Why are you here?" Turning to King Menelaus, who had been watching the exchange in silence, he repeated his question. "Why is Sarah here?"

Suddenly, Sarah clutched tightly to Toby's uniform. "Don't let him take me with him," she whispered, "Toby, you can't let him take me."

"We were in the middle of negotiations, General," Menelaus replied smoothly approaching the siblings, "Now, if you would hand her over to me, we can continue them."

When Toby opened his mouth to protest, the king's eyes darkened. "That's an order, General," he barked, his madness seeping into his voice, "You will obey, unless you desire to be flogged."

For a terrifying moment, Sarah thought Toby might actually release her to the Sprite King. However, he gave her a reassuring squeeze instead, and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he replied, "But I can't do that. The princess is under my protection. She will be coming with me." Toby gave a slight bow and began to turn away from the king. However, the Sprite King's voice caused him to stop.

"She will not be going with you," Menelaus spat, "Fifty lashes, for insubordination. Seize him!"

Quickly, the two soldiers accompanying the king jumped forward, reaching to grab hold of Toby's arms. Toby reacted just as fast, giving Sarah a quick shove. "Get out of here!" he hissed, "Find someone you can trust." Lowering his voice, just before the soldiers got a grip on him, he whispered, "I'll find you. Don't worry about me."

With a nod, Sarah pressed a quick kiss to her brother's cheek and took off running for the second time that day. She knew she had to find Jareth this time. He would be the only one able to put a stop to Menelaus, and hopefully catch Toby before he was whipped.

The Sprite King was chasing after her again. Soon he would overtake her, as Sarah was far too exhausted to continue running at her current pace. Turning sharply around a tent, she did the only thing she could think of.

She screamed for Jareth.

**xXx**

With the tent empty, Jareth now had no idea where Sarah and Menelaus could be, but he was determined to find them. They hadn't been gone long from the tent; Jareth could feel it. Spinning on his heel, he continued down the line of tents, magically flipping each flap aside as he stalked.

"Menelaus, you coward!" he bellowed, ignoring the shocked shouts from each occupied tent he opened, "Come out and face me! Or do you quake behind the skirt of a mortal girl?"

His rage practically blinding him, Jareth had nearly reached the opposite side of the camp in a matter of minutes without any sign of the Sprite King. Instead of cracking air surrounding the Goblin King, his fury had caused him to lose so much control of his magic that he was surrounded by his own miniature sandstorm. The magic swirled and roared around his head, but the sand did not come in contact with his person.

However, Jareth noticed none of this, his mind totally wiped of all coherent thoughts save for one.

_Find Sarah._

He wheeled about, reason slowly seeping into his thought process. He needed to get a grip on himself, starting with his magic. Closing his eyes, Jareth focused all his attention on reigning all the loose magic back into his control. After several moments of breathing deeply, Jareth opened his eyes to find his personal sandstorm had completely vanished.

Having finally gotten control of his senses, he glanced back at the path of destruction his rage had left. Tents barely held on to their skeletons, the air was clouded with dust, and soldiers were still stumbling out of their tents in confused shock. The mess had only just registered in his mind when Jareth's attention was drawn to his left.

"_Jareth!_"

Someone was calling his name. Immediately, the Goblin King knew it was Sarah. He took off like a bolt towards the sound, a cold knot settling in the pit of his stomach. If Menelaus had harmed Sarah, he would suffer a slow, painful death. As he ran, Jareth was planning all sorts of ways to punish the Sprite King for his insubordination. But first, he needed to find Sarah.

He dove between tents, this time ignoring all sense of direction. Trusting his instincts, he followed the gut-wrenching sound of Sarah's terrified cry. Any being who failed to scramble out of his mad path in time was shoved aside as he ran.

A flash of dark hair dashing behind a tent caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly changed course, sprinting towards the obviously female figure. "Sarah!" he shouted fairly certain he'd found her, "I'm here!"

The figure whirled around, and Jareth was relieved to see that his guess was correct. Sarah began to run towards him, but something caught her arm, jerking her back. She let out a pained yelp, and Jareth quickly reached the girl, only to find King Menelaus holding her arm in a vise-like grip.

"Menelaus, release the princess," Jareth commanded in a breathless voice. He hadn't realized how fast he had been running until he stopped and found his heart was threatening to burst out of his ribcage.

Sarah looked exhausted, and her cheeks were stained with tear tracks. However, she looked otherwise unharmed. For this, Jareth was extremely grateful. Their eyes met, and relief visibly spread across her features. She looked at Menelaus before looking back at Jareth.

"He's got Toby," she gasped, barely holding in the tears filling her eyes, "You have to help him. He's going to whip him. Please."

It took quite a lot of self-control not to rest his hands on his knees and catch his breath, but Jareth somehow managed to stand tall and look dignified. "It's going to be all right, Your Highness," he reassured Sarah, "General Toby shall not be whipped. Now, Menelaus, let go of the princess."

"Like hell the General won't be flogged, Goblin King," Menelaus snarled, "Jareth, why is you want me to release her? We were having such a... pleasant chat, weren't we, Princess?" He gave her arm a rough jerk, and Sarah let out a small noise of discomfort.

"Hardly," she grunted, trying to delicately pull her arm from his grip, very mindful of the bruises making her limb so sensitive, "Let me go. I don't have to negotiate with you any more. And you're _hurting_ me." Her voice wavered

"Enough, Menelaus," Jareth snapped, his patience long since vanished, "By the power that is my own, given to me by the gods to wield as High Heir, I command you to release the princess."

Expression darkening all the more, Menelaus slowly let go of Sarah's arm and gave her a shove forward. She stumbled, and had Jareth not caught her by the shoulders, she would have hit the sand. Pulling her close to him, Jareth felt her arms encircle his body, and he gave a sigh of relief. She was alive and, for the most part, unharmed.

"It hardly matters anymore," Menelaus spat, his eyes flashing dangerously, "The elves will be here any day to strike battle on our camps."

Jareth's brow furrowed in thought for a moment before he finally comprehended what Menelaus meant. "You're completely mad," he breathed in furious horror, his arms unconsciously tightening around Sarah, "And utterly depraved. This isn't some game, Menelaus. You've signed the death sentence for thousands of honorable soldiers, you fool!"

Eyes narrowing, Menelaus straightened up to his full height. "They are expendable," He shrugged, "The end justifies the means."

"The end being what?" Jareth demanded, "What do you hope to gain by this, you fool?"

"What belongs to me! This is the only way to completely destroy the elves-"

"Enough!" Jareth shouted with a wave of his hand. Shackles immediately materialized and wrapped themselves around Menelaus's wrists. "You will be placed under arrest until the High King can decide what to do with you and the absolute horror you have managed to set into motion."

**xXx**

_A/N: Phew. Well, if any of you are still out there, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you're not too angry over the wait, please drop a review. I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter, especially since it gave me so much trouble. _


End file.
